Social media might be an inseparable part of almost every actor's life today, but not Pankaj Kapur. He continues to remain active on the professional front, but he isn't a big believer in these platforms and continues to remain absent from them, despite having an unverified Instagram account.
Ask him about it, and he explains that he doesn't want his personal life to be up for public consumption. "It's fear, nothing else," he says.
"I am not on Instagram yet, because it is over exposure. I have a fear of my life being in everyone's eyes. I am a private person, simple, middle class... acting and writing is my passion and job. I don't want people to peep into my house," he quips.
But he is vocal about the flipside too. He has lost out on work because of his non presence on social media. "I lost out on ad films because they expect you to upload it on your Insta. I say I have nothing, I am not on any of those. I don't want to look at my mobile to say how many people are following me. I am striving to improve upon my ability as a performer. I would rather spend more time doing that. At the same time, I respect other people doing it. World over, people are being cast on the basis of how popular they are on Instagram and have a certain level of following. Surely this is the new way of going about it," the actor gets candid.
How does he view other people going all out on this medium then, including his own kids Shahid Kapoor and Sanah Kapur? "I understand that electronic media is required for younger actors. I would rather rely on my craft rather putting myself out there for people to comment on, on a daily basis. I am not saying there is anything wrong in people doing it, my own children are, the world is! They understand it better, I don't," adds Kapur, who recently performed at a theatre festival.
{{/usCountry}}How does he view other people going all out on this medium then, including his own kids Shahid Kapoor and Sanah Kapur? "I understand that electronic media is required for younger actors. I would rather rely on my craft rather putting myself out there for people to comment on, on a daily basis. I am not saying there is anything wrong in people doing it, my own children are, the world is! They understand it better, I don't," adds Kapur, who recently performed at a theatre festival.
{{/usCountry}}Kapoor believes that the entire focus of the audiences should be on his work rather than his personal life. "Having said that, I am not saying I will never (join social media) If tomorrow I feel it is the need of the hour, I might. I don't feel the need right now. I am happy," he shares.