The idea of casting social media influencers and content creators in mainstream films and TV shows is nothing new. Since the pandemic, people with high social media following, often with no acting experience, have increasingly found themselves playing supporting roles and doing cameos in big-budget films. After the trend was highlighted again with the brickbats coming journalist Saurabh Dwivedi’s way for his acting debut in Kartavya, actor Raashul Tandon has addressed the trend, calling out production houses and streaming platforms.
Actor Raashul Tandon speaks on influencers as actors
Raashul, who has appeared in films like Pink and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, among others, recently shared a video on his Instagram account, talking about Saurabh Dwivedi’s Kartavya performance and more. “Kal raat maine Netflix pe film dekhi Kartavya and jisne nahi dekhi, I am sure saare memes aapne dekh liye honge. Saurabh Dwivedi ji, jo journalist hain, unhone main antagonist play kiya hai. Abhi kuch time Pehle ek film aayi thi Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar jisme ek bahut hi famous aur kamaal ke comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi the. Aise hi Ajay (Devgn) sir ki film thi Runway 34, usme Ajey Nagar ji (Carryminati) the. Ye teeno log apne apne field me kamaal ke hain. Inka koi saani nahi hai. Aapko kya lagta hai, ye log line me lag ke audition dete honge, shortlist hote honge and phir ek din woh golden call aata hoga. Nahi! (I saw Kartavya last night. Even those who haven’t watched it must have seen the memes. Journalist Saurabh Dwivedi has played the antagonist it in. A few years ago, brilliant comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi was in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. Similarly, Ajey Nagar was in Ajay Devgn’s Runway 34. These three are brilliant at what they do. They are peerless. But what do you think? Do they queue up for auditions in films? No!)”
Raashul then opened up on how the biggest producers of films in India cast these popular figures to bank on their existing popularity. “The biggest of the production houses, streaming platforms approach them so that they can use their fan following because there is so much money at stake. But eventually that doesn’t happen. But there is a difference between being famous online and being an actor enough to emote that particular feeling on screen,” he added.
Addressing the production houses and streamers directly, the actor added, “I understand face value, I understand poster value. But please give us the roles where we fit. We are actors. We might not be that famous online but we are good enough. There are so many good actors struggling to find a good role, kyunki ek kaam se dossra kaam milta hai (one work leads to another).”
In his long video note, Raashul also suggested a solution to the viewers. “The solution is that,as a viewer, you manage your feed. Don’t watch these cringe reels. Why? In the West, so many great shows like Breaking Bad and Seinfeld are made, but we are unable to make them. We are recycling the same old concepts because we can’t absorb new. This slight change is free of cost. But if you do it, the big production houses and platforms will feel the audience is changing. They will be ready and confident to put a lot of money on something new,” he said.
In the caption to the video, the actor wrote, “This is not just about one actor or one film. It reflects what we celebrate as an audience. When society starts valuing performance over popularity, the industry will also start creating space for actors who may not be famous yet, but truly deserve to be seen.”
What do the ‘influencers’ say
The issue is not new. Recently, in an interview with Hindustan Times, content creator-turned-actor Kusha Kapila admitted that actors have the right to feel bad about this. “I feel actors are right to feel that if the hiring is only happening because of followers. They are right to feel that because they have studied for it. They are the ones who should be leading and fronting projects. 100%,” she said. However, creators add that just social media following should not be the reason to negate someone’s acting performance, too.
Talking about this last year, another creator-turned-actor Dolly Singh told HT, “For me, and other content creators who are my peers, we always had this itch to act, which is why we started making videos. The problem is that we get offers or auditions, but they are just taking us for our following. I have done some such roles. They will give you a blink-and-you-miss 2-4-minute role, and then call you for the promotions. You are used. That doesn’t make you happy.”
About Kartavya
Meanwhile, Saurabh Dwivedi’s acting debut has been much criticised. He played a self-proclaimed godman in the Pulkit directorial. But his stiff dialogue delivery was panned by viewers. Kartavya stars Saif Ali Khan as a small-town cop investigating a murder linked to Saurabh’s character. The film also stars Rasika Dugal and Sanjay Mishra in pivotal roles. It is streaming on Netflix.