Will tollywood ever flex its muscle?

doweshowbellyad=0; Intercostal muscles. (TOI Photo)The obsession with pectoral and intercostal muscles is Bollywood���s recent trend in method acting. The most difficult question is how do they do it?
���With their crazy travelling schedules, film shoots in different locations across the world, shows and performances and a zillion other commitments, it could either be that actors just don���t find time to eat or that they are just amazingly disciplined.A few, of course, would beg to differ and inform you righteously that it���s all thanks to their magical genes (bless them) or better still a very high metabolic rate. Of course, when not claiming such magical powers as their very own, they deign to confess that they spend gruelling hours working on their body. Lesser beings out of sheer envy, however, may attribute other factors for their body beautiful ��� the surgeon���s knife for one,��� reads a blog.
Well, we have heard of corporate muscle pull behind movies, but newly minted six-pack abs are now getting even the B-town beauties to get the ���toned, strong with no body fat��� look; a mission statement of perhaps countless service providers: personal trainers, gyms, detox centres and cosmetic surgeons all chasing the moolah that actors will spend to reach their clothing grail. So what if Bollywood purists find Bebo���s svelte new image hard to stomach?
And so even as Bollywood muscles in on six-packs and size zero prototypes, Tollywood���s little black book on fitness states that six-packs are ���abs���olutely unnecessary. Says actor Jisshu Sengupta, ���Tollywood is more to do with concept than flaunting its physicality.��� But wouldn���t he wants abs you could grate cheese on? ���I wouldn���t mind getting a six-pack, if my character warrants the same,��� adds Jisshu.
Clearly the gut feeling in Tollywood is that staying fit isn���t about bare-chested glory and washboard tums. ���It���s a demand and supply chain,��� says actor Tota Roy Choudhury, adding, ���Only that the demand should come from the directors and producers.��� Tota was even asked by director Rituparno Ghosh to put on a few ounces for playing Behari in Chokher Bali. ���One might lose out on roles for being too sinewy,��� he adds.
Television heartthrob Sagnik still recalls the grind he had to go through in the industry because of his ribbed look. ���Unlike Bollywood, one might end up here with negative roles for having a great physique,��� he rues.
Actor Dev, however, begs to differ. ���I was advised to sport a lean look when I entered the industry. I would however, like to work towards a six-pack. I just might need it for some kickass action!���
Question is, will our kickass Tollywood heroines work hard to attain that solid, ripped centre? While actor Arunima Ghosh has no qualms doing an Ursula Andress like Bebo in Tashan it alas! it comes with a rider ��� ���only if the role is meaty,��� she adds.
Actor Koel Mallick, however, feels that Tollywood still advocates natural beauty. But the same junta wolf whistles when Bipasha creates a Dhoom in her no-strings attached bikini. ���The audience has flexible needs that change and adapt with the language,��� reasons Koel. Hence, while in Tollywood you may still ���watch it wiggle, see it giggle��� (and we aren���t necessarily talking about flavoured gelatin).