Naman Shaw feels over exposed on TV: 'I’ve been stereotyped'

In the last four years since Tashan-e-Ishq ended, Naman Shaw did not take up any fiction on TV except for doing one episode in Laal Ishq in 2018. Before anyone reaches any conclusion, the actor clarifies that this has been a self-inflicted break.

“It was getting monotonous. When you get slotted in those typical good boy roles, something that I’ve played the most on TV, you don’t get to explore or experiment much. And keep getting similar offers. Unhone Naman ka ek ghar ka Shravan kumar wala image bana diya hai, usse bahar nahi aa sakte. So it becomes difficult to convince both the makers and audiences too,” he says voicing his concern regarding how TV easily stereotypes actors.

Shaw feels he has been over exposed on TV in the last 14 years. “So the out-of-sight means out-of-mind thing at times helps in removing the set image that viewers and makers have of you and when you go back again they’re ready to accept you in a different avatar. Also, the offers I’ve been getting in between weren’t making jump out of my sofa and say yes,” adds the actor, who made his web debut with Flip last year.

Having no intention of leaving television, Shaw is considering offers from the small screen and is hopeful that TV would experiment a little more.

“It’s about making profit at the end of the day. So some makers don’t experiment much beyond what works. And even if the makers do try something new that might not do well. A show like 24 only worked in metro cities but in tier II and III cities, where TV has maximum audience, it didn’t do well. So it’s a two-sided thing, both the makers and the audience need to go hand-in-hand,” he explains adding that meanwhile he’s happy with the OTT offers coming his way.

“On the web they don’t see me as Naman Shaw who has done certain kind of roles. Here it’s a clean slate for me. Web offers everyone opportunity and lets you experiment. It has changed the way talent and good content are being viewed and appreciated. And as an artiste I also want to be a part of that change,” he ends.

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Author tweets @Shreya_MJ