Despite Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’s underwhelming box office performance, actor Girija Oak says an actor’s work cannot be measured by a film’s collections. While acknowledging that box office is crucial for the industry as “everybody has to take home a sum of money”, she insists a film’s commercial performance should never dictate an actor’s approach to their craft. “I don’t think it’s got directly to do with an experience of being in a film as an actor, but we also have to understand that this is a business, and we are very much part of a huge machinery that works, where everybody has to take home a sum of money for their lives to go on. So we can’t shy away from the fact that moviemaking is an industry and it’s a business,” says Girija, adding: “Yes, box office does matter to a film because finally it has to sustain the people that are involved in it.”
However, Girija is quick to draw a clear distinction between a film’s commercial outcome and an actor’s job. “Does it matter to me as an actor? No, because box office comes after I’ve finished my job. When I’m working on a film, box office is so far away from me at that point in time that it actually doesn’t affect me at all. I’m still going to do my job the way I see fit, and then that’s slightly beyond my purview because it’s a reward that you can hope for, but you can never really predict. So is it connected? Yes, because I’m also part of the same industry. It pays my bills. Box office does. But does it affect my job? No.”
Beyond the film’s commercial fate, Girija also reflects on how the film fits into the changing landscape of women-centric stories. Starring actor-politician Kangana Ranaut alongside Smita Tambe and Esha Dey, the film was positioned as a female-led story. Oak believes the industry is gradually moving towards stronger and more layered female characters. “I think this is a good time to be an actor because female characters are getting better. Women who have a voice, who have something to say, who have opinions are being represented beautifully as heroes. Even if it’s not led by that woman, even the supporting characters are now being appreciated as well. So it’s definitely a ray of hope,” says the 38-year-old.
For Girija, however, the conversation isn’t about choosing between hero-led films and ensemble stories, but about writing better characters across the board. “Every story requires different things out of its actors. You cannot have a typical hero-driven screenplay in a world that you’re asking people to believe in. This story belongs to a collective of people, not one person. There’s nothing right or wrong about hero-led films, but I feel the default should always be writing well-rounded characters, no matter what you’re doing,” she ends.