As in life and in art, trends walk the shifting sands on television, too. It just takes one to set a path and the rest of the pack becomes the Hutch pug, collectively following that one.

Few years ago, when everyone was busy enjoying socio-dramas and thrillers, the so-called spicy saas-bahu drama was brought in with greater melodrama.

And once our viewers (read: women) started living on this staple diet, some wise TV guru flashed another ace called 'formatted shows' and society wasn't the same anymore with shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Indian Idol and so on.

And in recent years on television another happening thing is happening. A new breed of middle-aged, salt--pepper heroes are currently making women go weak in their knees.

The first was Ronit Roy aka Mihir of Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi... some five or six years back. The trend gained momentum with Kasautii Zindagii Kay where Ronit (again) played the sexy, middle-aged Mr Bajaj. And picking up the baton (the salt--pepper look) is Ram Kapoor in Kasamh Se, who is watching smugly a female fan following going berserk.

"Today, I get so many compliments only because of my hairstyling in Kasamh Se, " says an amused Ram Kapoor. "My wife (Gautami Gadgil) too swoons over George Clooney just because he has salt--pepper hair."

Interestingly, Ram Kapoor was also once mobbed by a couple of youngsters while he was sharing a private dinner with wife Gautami. This was just one incident. His fan following seems to be on the rise all the time.

"I don't know about the others, " Ronit Roy clarifies. "As for me, I sported the salt--pepper look some five years back. And at that time, I did it purely because I liked the character very much and secondly, at that point of time, I desperately needed some work."

That was the phase when Ronit was written off completely in the film industry following a disaster like Jaan Tere Naam in the 90s. At that time, even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't have thought that he would be a trendsetter. But now it's his calling!

The trend has also ruffled a few feathers and given the black--gelled hair a few spiky ends at the same time. The fans of characters in their 20s have their arguments well in place.

"We don't give a damn to these so-called sexy old blokes. For us, the younger studs like Iqbal Khan, Rajeev Khandelwal and Gurpreet Singh matter and they are the ones to die for, " comments one salivating follower.

So, can we term this a war between two different 'states of head' who think differently? One which believes that the heroes need to be traditionally good-looking, handsome and young. And the other which feels the older the wine, the better.

Ronit Roy is best equipped to nail the argument. "You cannot say which generation is going to rule the television because both are equally popular. In some shows, young actors win, while in others the 40-somethings are loved. For example, in Kyunki? Mihir is equally popular as his son Karan (Hiten Tejwani), " he moderates.

So, can we say that both will coexist in the TV scenario? "I guess it's going to be so. After all, how can a viewer just like one type of character? Different people can have different likings, " comments an industry analyst.

"The way you have different communities in a society, you are going to have both kinds of screen representations as well. But the healthiest trend seems to be the fact that Indian audiences are open to unconventional looks."

Let's see what kind of unconventional look does young guns of Indian television comes up with to fight against the middle-aged actors. - Pratik Maheshwari