Winds of change are sweeping across the Indian film industry with another stereotype set to break. Bollywood is finally waking up to the box-office potential of actors who don't look like conventional stars.

Hitherto, it's been Bollywood's practice to kowtow to good-looking actors with close family links with the film business and, in the process, ignore unconventional-looking but talented actors.

All this seems set to change thanks to enlightened audiences who are flocking to performance driven small-budget films.

This year's biggest hit - "Page 3" - has given rise to the hope of having an unconventional-looking Konkona Sen nominated in the Best Female Actor category in popular Bollywood awards functions alongside the usual glam dolls.

"It has taken really long, but finally one can hope to see Konkona Sen and Sanjay Suri ('My Brother...Nikhil') rub shoulders with Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan at popular award ceremonies," says a trade watcher.

Fuelling the hope is this week's release "Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi" by director Sudhir Mishra. Hailed as one of Sudhir's best works ever and set against the backdrop of the prevalent socio-political landscape of the country, the film has brought to light the talent of little-known performers like Kay Kay, Chitrangada Singh and Shiney Ahuja.

If the film is able to convert the superlative critical acclaim it has received from reviewers into box-office moolah, it will go a long way to prove that "Page 3" was not just a flash in the pan.

Konkona and Sanjay belong to a breed of performers who refuse to be labelled as character actors. They would rather do small-budget films than be cast in insipid roles under big banners.

Last year, we had seen Paresh Rawal try hard to convert from character actor to hero. He had major roles in "Awara Pagaal Deewana", "Aankhen", "Hera Pheri", "Hungama" and "Hulchul".

"If he were working anywhere else in the world, he would have been best actor at every award ceremony," says film observer Deepa Gehlot.

Unlike yesteryears greats like Motilal, Balraj Sahni and Sanjeev Kumar, scene-stealing character actors like Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher could never make a film work on their own strength.

It is about time the industry started to appreciate actors who are not necessarily glamorous stars.

For instance, an actor of Naseeruddin Shah's calibre would have been a major star anywhere else in the world,

In Hollywood, actors like Joe Pesci and Danny DeVito are stars. Here a Rajpal Yadav will end up playing silly comic roles and Raghuvir Yadav will get typecast as the village idiot, says Gehlot.

It is heartening to hear that veteran actor Victor Banerjee turned down a film offer because the remuneration was not enough. His message is loud and clear - that talented actors need to take a stand and assert their own worth.

Om Puri is one actor who urgently needs to learn to say no to insignificant roles. His two-bit role in the latest release "Mumbai Xpress" starring Kamal Hasan is not becoming of his stature.

The film that also stars Manisha Koirala, Hardik, Sourabh Shukla and Sharad Saxena went on the marquees this week.

Om Puri's worth was recognised when he looked West and got challenging roles in films like "My Son The Fanatic", "East Is East" and "The Ghost And The Darkness".

In Mumbai, the best roles he was offered was of an evil politician in "Kurukshetra" or a conventional character part here and there - nothing suitable for an actor like him.

One could see him in roles akin to those rendered by Robert de Niro or Morgan Freeman, if only they made films like that here. He continues to prosper overseas.

His next film will be "The Hangman" produced by an Indian-American film studio in New Jersey.

"The Hangman", an English language film directed by Vishal Bhandari, is a story of crime and punishment centred round a man who has executed hundreds of criminals. Hopefully, the film will erase painful memories of watching him being wasted in "Mumbai Xpress". Choreographer-turned-actor Arshad Warsi can give a tip or two to performers hoping to bridge the gap between actors and stars in Bollywood.

That he is a good example to follow is established by his latest release - "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye" which has the unconventional-looking actor as hero.

The film by debutant director Samar Khan stars Arshad opposite Mahima Choudhury. Arshad has proved his mettle in recent films and this is his first film as sole hero.

The versatile actor is, however, let down by the script. Even a special appearance by Shah Rukh Khan is not likely to prop up the film at the turnstiles. It may be a lost opportunity for those rooting for actors to shine brighter than stars, but the casting of Arshad in a lead role is a clear indication that Bollywood can no longer keep real actors on the sidelines.