Oomph appeal!

Dictionary defines Oomph as personal charm or magnetism or glamour or vitality or punch or sex appeal.

Going purely by the dictionary and the literal meaning of the word, we all have something in us that makes it our Oomph appeal or our Oomph factor. Some are lucky to learn about their chutzpah early on and some learn as they age. Some just let it remain latent and never realize they have it and well, some are just smart to use it to out-smart others! And no, oomph is not just a pretty face! 

So, don’t trust me on this? Take actor Vidya Balan for example. She was a playing a geeky girl amongst the other bright spunky girls in Hum Paanch. Decent face. And then we saw her with red bindi and saree in her debut film, Parineeta. She had a lot of things not going for her, like debuting pretty late in the day, her dressing sense and her weight. If this was not enough, she went ahead and put on some more weight at unimaginable places and did Dirty Picture. That I think was a tipping point in her career. Not only was that role very different and radical, it showed a very confident Vidya. One who was comfortable with herself. And then you realize that she was confident all along, through her disastrous dressing in Heyy Baby or Kismet Konnection or constant criticism of being over-weight than her contemporaries. Why? Because she never rebutted the weight claims or make-up gaffes. Infact, if anything, she continued, and still does, making public appearance in sarees by the same designer, with bolder prints and brighter colors. Because she is confident of herself. She has that spark in her. The confidence that I am putting in my best effort and I am comfortable in my skin. That confidence in herself is Vidya Balan’s oomph. Purely on her own, she has made sarees and ‘voluptuous’ back in mainstream.

Similarly, a Bipasha Basu. Typical dusky Bengali girl who was a model. But a misfit in film industry, going by the standards of only fair and slim ones ruling the industry. She was none. She had a body structure that was perfect for, may be, sports. Then she made her debut in Jism. That was the tipping point in her career. Men drooled over her, for obvious reasons and women secretly fancied looking like her. Solely on her own, she made ‘dusky and sensuous’ desirable. Her sex appeal and confidence are her oomph. The confidence of surviving in an industry dominated by fair and lovelies. The confidence of being comfortable with her skin color and not endorsing a fairness cream. The confidence of a toned body with curves, and not aiming for a size zero. That are her oomph.

Some other oomphs in some other known personalities according to me:

• Barack Obama – Great oratory skills and confidence
• Hrithik Roshan – Greek god looks and boy-next-door charms

Most of us are unaware of our Oomph factor. Because in everyday rigmarole, mundane life we often get in the grind and get mechanized. We overlook our spark and we accept people’s opinion about us as Holy Grail. What we forget is that there is a certain thing in each of us that shines out and separates us from the rest. 

We all have that oomph appeal and we just are too busy in sorting everyday trash that we leave no room for that oomph to brush itself up and make an appearance.

So what is your Oomph?