Actor Pavan Malhotra seems to have made peace with the fact that he is not a star, and that people often fail to remember his (real) name, and mostly refer to him as one of the characters that he has played on the big screen.
“I know I am not a star. Anyone can become a star in three months. You just have to constantly talk about that person in the media, and he or she will become a star. But, they won’t be able to survive stardom for long. I am not a star, I am an actor. People know me not as Pavan Malhotra, but as either Salim Langda ( from Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, 1989) , or Tiger Memon (from Black Friday, 2004) ,” he says.
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While the actor has admitted in the past and continues to think that it’s a great compliment when fans address him by his onscreen characters, he wishes that things change soon. “As much as I know it’s a great compliment, I would like people to remember my real name as well. It’s a good feeling when people come and tell you ‘Hi Pavan sir, we saw Black Friday, or Mubarakan, and you were great in it’. But that doesn’t happen. They just come to me and say, oh sir, you were Tiger Memon in Black Friday. Can we take a selfie with you,” he adds.
Pavan feels that this change is very important because, “when people start recognising you by your real name, you realise that you have some credibility outside the industry as well. Why do other stars try to be seen in media so often? So that people remember their names,” he opines.
{{/usCountry}}Pavan feels that this change is very important because, “when people start recognising you by your real name, you realise that you have some credibility outside the industry as well. Why do other stars try to be seen in media so often? So that people remember their names,” he opines.
{{/usCountry}}Read| Pavan Malhotra: Characters go waste in short films, appreciation lasts for a short while
However, the actor is quick to add, “I’m not saying that I’m not happy or unsatisfied. I’ve been very lucky with the number of years I’ve spent in this industry, and the kind of work that I’ve done. But, it’s not really a great thing to know that people outside the industry don’t know your name, despite you being around for 35 years,” he concludes.
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