Actor Rohit Roy faced flak for his comments on television actors, as he recently called TV a ‘dustbin medium’ and said films are for ‘posterity’. He also pointed out the actors’ supposed bad conduct at public events. Now, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has come out in support of television actors in his latest post, even as he did not mention Rohit or his recent comments.
What Mukesh said
Taking to X, Mukesh wrote, “Most of the actors we have found are from television, and I truly believe television actors are amazing. They have an incredible memory, they work every single day, they are extremely professional, they adapt quickly, and they know how to handle the demands of the job. The discipline, dedication, and commitment they bring to their work is something I deeply admire. I love all actors, but I think I have a little extra love for TV actors. Just a thought. Sunday feelings.”
Mukesh has been the casting director for films like Dhurandhar, Jawan, and Dangal. He also directed Dil Bechara, which starred Sushant Singh Rajput.
What did Rohit Roy say
On the Kindle Cast YouTube channel, Rohit was asked if the TV industry has become more professional, but has less devotion to the craft now. He said, “This question has been asked of me several times, and I sometimes feel that I shouldn’t come across as ungrateful. But, television is a dustbin medium. You watch it today, it’s like yesterday’s newspaper. Tomorrow, you forget about it. So, in India, unfortunately, with the amount of content being created and the same kind of content being created, there’s hardly any creativity.”
When asked about the ‘caste system’ in Bollywood that sees TV actors as inferior to film, Rohit seemed to defend it. “Quite honestly, television actors don’t have the carriage that film actors have. You see the public appearance of a film actor, you see the carriage with which he or she comes out, especially if he or she is a star. Of course, everybody puts on a front. But that front is graceful, dignified, stylish, cool, all of that. See a gathering of television actors and look at the way they behave. You’ll get your answer. You have to conduct yourself with a certain amount of grace, dignity. You can’t do hoo-haa and make stupid comments because you know the paps are there. Look at the kind of clothing, too.”
When the host pointed out that he seemed to have ‘internalised this hierarchy’, he replied that ‘cinema is for posterity’ and reiterated that TV is a ‘dustbin medium’. Rohit gained fame on TV shows such as Kkusum, Kittie Party, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, and Viraasat.