The allure of the silver screen has always been fascinating. Maybe that's the reason why, even after reaching iconic status with their larger than life TV characters, almost every TV actor worth a mention is willing to try out his/her luck in films.

But in spite of being big names in the world of TV, in Bollywood they have had no takers.

Rajeev Khandelwal had his share of ego hassle with Ektaa Kapoor after being dubbed as the Shah Rukh Khan of TV. But in spite of slogging hard to prove his talent in Bollywood, all these years, he has no offers to talk about.

Mona Singh became much more than a household name after Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. Post Jassi she was supposed to do a film with The Rising producer Bobby Bedi but the film never took off.

"There was a movie which I had signed before but it didn't materialize. I'm yet to get the kind of offer I'm looking for. I'm reading a few script but they are not appealing to me," admits Mona. It was said during Kahiin To Hoga that Aamna Sharif has the kind of face that could appeal to the Bollywood audience.

The petite actress also never really denied her Bollywood ambitions, also claiming that Aamir Khan is her dream actor. But all she has to talk about right now is the Sony show that she is all set to do.

Actors like Amarr Upadhay and Nausheen Ali Sardar gave up their rocking TV career to try out their luck in films but have lost out on both fronts.

Then too there are hopefuls like Amit Sadh, Shveta Salve, Vikas Manaktala and Shabbir Ahluwalia waiting in the wings. Even the older and the experienced brigade has not given up as yet.

"Yes I'm willing to get into full fledged cinema. Now I have Delhii Heights and Shoot Out at Lokhandwala. My next will be Ali Baug. I have spoken to Mahesh Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Vikram Bhatt and my next venture would probably be with Soni Bhatt," says a hopeful Rohit Roy.

But then what Rohit will be play in these films will be either bit parts or character roles. Like what Mandira Bedi and Shweta Kawatra have done in all these years. And what Ejaaz Khan and Anita will play in Meghna Gulzaar's film Just Married.

So will a big TV actor ever be offered a full fledged Bollywood film? Will there ever be anyone else to hit gold in Bollwood after Shah Rukh Khan and even Irffan Khan?

Film critic Taran Adarsh tries to explain the situation. "Bollywood is a totally different ball game. It is very difficult for them to cope up with it. Film industry is completely star driven; people want to see stars, well known names.

Though I agree that some television actors, like Smriti Irani, are good actors but they have been confined to their characters.

Directors have a completely different mindset. They can be used in films but only as side character not in lead roles," he analyses.

So it can be said that the characters in TV are so very larger than life, that they completely overshadow the acting prowess that these stars have. Could it also be so that the over exposure on the tube has harmed them?

The audiences are so used to watching their favorite telly stars in their living rooms everyday, that they are not willing to spend big bucks to watch them on the big screen.

What do directors who make experimental cinema have to say? There is a perception that directors do not experiment with television actors and rather prefer to cast new faces in their films.

Homi Adajania the director of Being Cyrus, tries to answer the question. "At the end of the day it really depends on how talented the actor is. Though, the perception today seems to be that (more than the filmmakers) it is the audience that prefers keeping their soap actors and film actors apart.

Actually they are two different mediums that need to be approached very differently and also the fact that audience expectations are very different for film as opposed to television serials. You can't blame it on over exposure either because there would be a sense of curiosity to see what the TV actors do on the big screen.

Actually the format is very different, so the overall approach to a role would be different. I won't go into detail here as it will become a thesis in itself. TV actors are mostly cast in character roles because the producers often look at market trends and bankability and this would naturally narrow one's choices for lead protagonists," he argues.

Madhur Bhandarkar who is always known for experimenting with his cast has valid reasons to give too.

"I have cast TV actors in character roles in my films. But we always have to cast our leads keeping the pulse of the audience in mind. As far as I know, in TV, it's the writers that rule and there is not much of acting involved.

Where as in films it's not like that. There are few like Sandhya Mridul who has successfully dared to break away from the TV grind and has managed to carve a separate niche for herself with meaningful roles.

But it's good that Sandhya is in a league of her own and never really tries hard to become a big star," he says.

Ultimately, it's the talent that matters and it would be interesting to know whether the latest brigade of Bollywood hopefuls go the Sandhya Mridul way or actually create history (defying all trends) by being the next Shah Rukh Khan!! - Sneha Hazarika (SAMPURN)