BENGALURU: Fans falling at your feet, red carpets, spotlights... But the off-screen reality of the film industry seems to be a far cry from this glamorous world. As fans come to terms with Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise, fingers are being pointed at the dominant culture in the industry. One that many actors say is filled with nepotism and favouritism. While Bollywood has constantly been under the spotlight, the situation closer home comes with its own hurdles.
Actor Manvitha Kamath says favouritism exists in Sandalwood as well, where a lot goes on from the time an artiste gives an audition to selection. “Producers, directors and actors all have a say here,” adds Kamath, who made her debut with Kendasampige. Aspiring to make it big in B-Town as well, Kamath shares how it is difficult to find a place there without good PR. “Gone are the days where genuine auditions were done. Today, filmmakers ask for TikTok videos,” she says, recalling an audition she did for a leading Bollywood production house. “A casting director told me I was good but another person was chosen since she was influential,” she says.
Mumbai-based actor Thakur Anoop Singh, who has worked across film industries, says nepotism is everywhere. “A star kid may get multiple launches but an outsider gets only one,” he says. The pressure could also come from roles being dropped last minute or from projects being delayed. The 9-film old artiste, whose works include Commando 2 (Hindi) and Udgharsha, Yajamana and Rogue (Kannada), shares an instance of a Sandalwood project that he spent eight months preparing for. “My preparation involved intensive gymming, and learning martial arts. I even denied other projects, only to have this one shelved,” he says.
Patience and hard work are prerequisites to survive in this field, believes actor Pruthvi Amba. While many assume that he became an overnight sensation for his role as Adi in Dia, it took him four serials, 10 Tulu films, and four Kannada movies before he shot to fame. “It took 11 years to get where I am,” says Pruthvi, pointing out that the struggle is inevitable for those without godfathers. “For an outsider, hurdles are there all along. People confide in me the anguish they go through of not getting the right opportunity after three years. I tell them that I have been struggling for 12 years,” he says. Filmmaker Ramesh Aravind says pressure is a part of any industry. “For actors, it is more because they are in the limelight and criticism can easily affect them,” he says, adding that the blame game in Bollywood is just a reflections of the frustration that filmmakers are facing.
(With inputs from Simran Ahuja)