What do Kartik Aaryan, Tovino Thomas, Sridevi, Shabana Azmi and Shah Rukh Khan have in common?

They have all nailed the role of an investigative journalist, albeit in different ways. Here is looking at the journalist’s journey via Bollywood.

1. Shah Rukh Khan in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani(2000): One of the most underrated SRK films, Aziz Mirza’s Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani saw SRK play a hard-nosed super-competitive journalist television journalist who ends up sacrificing his idealistic father (Hyder Ali)’s values in pursuit of TRPs. The film was much ahead of its time. The channel wars are a far more intense reality today than they were 22 years ago when the film was released. I remember meeting SRK for the first time after the film’s release. This was the only time I’ve seen him express disappointment over a film’s lukewarm reception. To play the swag-filled journalist Ajay Bakshi SRK had taken inspiration from many of his journalist friends.

2. Shabana Azmi in Main Azaad Hoon(1989): Another master stroke of media characterization Shabana played Subhashini Saigal a fearless investigative journalist who invents a character named Azad in her column. Azad represents the voice of the common man. Amitabh Bachchan embodied the character. The screenplay written by Shabana’s husband Javed Akhtar showed the journalist as the harbinger of change in the social order. Shabana dressed up like one of her close journalist-friends to play Subhashini.

3. Sridevi in Mr India(1987): Now to the zany side of journalism. Sridevi was absolutely smashing as Seema Sohni, the bumbling rookie journalist working for a newspaper edited by Annu Kapoor. There was nothing in Sridevi’s performance that suggested any likeness to any journalist, living or dead. But gosh, she made the profession look like so much fun, zipping in and out of disguises, running into an invisible man(who you wish would remain invisible) and even dancing slinkily in a chiffon saree with him. Sridevi played a journalist who didn’t have to run after scoops. She WAS the scoop.

4. Tovino Thomas in Naaradan(2022): A media hound who won’t stop at anything to get his scoop. Who puts down competition ruthlessly and who will get the Big Story by hook or by crook. Doesn’t he remind you of someone you know, someone who screams so hard his panelists can’t get in a word edgewise? Tovino says he has not borrowed from anyone particular journalist. But he studied the body language of several national and international news anchors to play Chandrashekhar.

5. Kartik Aaryan in Dhamaka (2021): Kartik Aaryan plays television journalist Arjun Pathak , star-anchor of the channel Bharosa 24/7 . He must negotiate with a terrorist who threatens to blow up Mumbai. A remake of the Korean hit Terror Live this was Kartik’s first serious role after a string of successful comedies. Kartik’s powerful performance holds the film together. His journey from a self-serving scumbag to a conscientious newshound is convincingly achieved by the young actor. This is his best performance to date and one that puts him ahead of all competition. Dhamaka is a stinging slap in the face of sponsored journalism where money and not the conscience, and certainly not the welfare of humanity, guides the television anchor to scream blatant lies. All is well as long as the lies sell. And sell everything for TRPs.

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News _,_  Trending News _,_  Cricket News _,_  Bollywood News _,_  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook _,_  Twitter  and  Instagram _._