Shweta Basu Prasad feels ‘mediocrity’ is celebrated in Indian showbiz: PR said my social media isn’t like that of actor

Actor Shweta Basu Prasad says mediocrity in the form of actors being cast due to social media numbers, is ‘celebrated’.

Shweta Basu Prasad has always preferred to stay away from the rate race. Which is why she is not perturbed by the current trend: of casting someone to act on the basis of how many Instagram followers they have. ‘Mediocrity is celebrated to another level’ is what she feels. (

Actor Shweta Basu Prasad has turned director with a short film, Retake/

“I know about it. It is fair for people to come to your profile and check how you look right now. 10-20 years ago people used to go door to door, with their portfolios. Now that has just become digital, people come to your profile and see how you look. But to do something you don’t believe in just for the heck of numbers... I am not sure I would want to participate in that,” quips the actor. She recently took her debut directorial short film Retake to the New York Indian Film Festival. It stars Anupam Kher and Zarina Wahab, and she has written it as well.

Shweta on obsession with number of followers

Adding that obsession with numbers is ‘not a healthy culture’, the 32-year-old, continues, “It is very weird that this is going to get you numbers and someone will cast you on the basis of this. This is the nepotism debate- somebody is again being preferred for their numbers and not talent. How do I react to that?”

Prasad claims recently a PR agency approached her and commented on the way she has kept her Insta profile low key. “The other day I got a call from an agency, and the woman said ‘your profile is not like that of an actor’ I said ‘okay, enlighten me’. She said I should be putting out more reels on trending songs, post more Insta stories. She further said that my profile is only about books, films that I like, my favourite actors. I discuss cinema. Apparently classical music is not an actor’s profile, but making reels is!” laughs Prasad, recently seen in the acclaimed show Jubilee.

Shweta says the trend is a hoax

Mediocrity is celebrated, she says, “I am not surprised such agencies go to new actors and tell them to do this and that, And those new people think that’s what is going to get them numbers and work. I think this is a big hoax, what if there is no Instagram tomorrow?”