Actor Karan Wahi has said that part of the blame for star system and discrimination against TV actors also lies with the audience, as they are the ones who actually make a star. Citing an example of American actor Jennifer Aniston, he said despite the sitcom FRIENDS making her popular, no one calls her a TV star.
Talking about the ongoing debate around nepotism and insiders versus outsiders, Karan told Pinkvilla in an interview, “I think the debate is only wrong. It is the audience who need to change their perspective. Why call me inferior to another person just because of the platform we come from. I think the audience need to reflect on that aspect. If I work on TV, and on web as well, and even in films then why just call me a TV actor? Call me an actor na? I am not saying I have a problem with it, I am very proud to start from TV, it has made me what I am today. But, to segregate people based on the platform they work on, and then talk about equal opportunities? We shouldn’t be. Eventually who is making us a star? The audience. I feel the audience needs to give creditability to everybody and then see the change.”
“Today, there might be someone who is more talented than me but haven’t gotten the opportunity and that is because the audience has loved me more. Humko kaam tabhi milega jab audience support karegi. We live in a social media world where there are people who have perhaps done nothing big but are earning more than us, who are these people following them, making them stars? It is the audience. We say that this doesn’t happen in abroad, it is because there, an actor is an actor, no one says that ‘oh Jennifer Aniston toh Friends ki TV actor hai!’ It is that small a game. These are small things which needs to change.”
{{/usCountry}}“Today, there might be someone who is more talented than me but haven’t gotten the opportunity and that is because the audience has loved me more. Humko kaam tabhi milega jab audience support karegi. We live in a social media world where there are people who have perhaps done nothing big but are earning more than us, who are these people following them, making them stars? It is the audience. We say that this doesn’t happen in abroad, it is because there, an actor is an actor, no one says that ‘oh Jennifer Aniston toh Friends ki TV actor hai!’ It is that small a game. These are small things which needs to change.”
{{/usCountry}}About the discrimination against TV actors, Hina Khan had also said last month, “If you are a star and you want to launch your kid, it’s absolutely okay. But, it is not fair when you don’t give an equal chance to outsiders. TV actors hardly make it big in Bollywood, just because we don’t get a fair chance. At least, give us a chance to prove ourselves. I don’t know why people in India look down upon TV actors. I remember how international designers helped me instead of Indian designers, during my Cannes debut.”
In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, Karan had opened about helping the needy during the pandemic, he said, “I don’t believe in the word ‘influencer’, I don’t believe I’ll inspire people, because what might be right for me might not be from another perspective. People are trying to do their bit by giving money and food. But everyone has limited liquid money in hand. In hindsight, most of us are also limited with our resources, one has to think about themselves too. So I put it out there that I’m open to collaborations on social media, for brands too, if they deposit money directly into the account of an NGO, I send them.”
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