As reality drama receives flak for allowing Angela as contestant, those involved say it’s ‘about making it big’
Sonil Dedhia and Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 19, 2018)

While it was meant to pave the way for better roles, a supporting act in the recently released 1921 has turned out to be a thorn for Angela Krislinzki. Cinephiles heading to watch the Vikram Bhatt venture, featuring Zareen Khan and Karan Kundra, were quick to notice Krislinzki’s familiar face. The Polish model, they realised, is also a participant on the reality show, India’s Next Superstar, supposedly judging “newcomers”. It is now learnt that Krislinzki has several gigs to her credit, with her debut dating to 2008.

Portals were quick to slam the talent hunt show for promoting an existing Bollywood artiste on a platform that was supposed to give “fresh faces” an opportunity. However, casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who apparently scouted for the participants across 20 cities following auditions, finds little merit in the criticism.

Talking about the format of the show, judged by Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty, he says, “We have shortlisted people on talent showcased in auditions. Krislinzki was brought aboard after we found merit in her craft.”

Asserting that an artiste playing smaller roles has the authority to better her prospects in the industry, Chhabra adds, “The concept of the show is to launch people in lead roles, so I don’t see an issue here,” he says, his statements strongly contradicting that of Shetty, who had reportedly said that the show was indeed for “ newcomers.” “I think the channel would be in a better position to answer this,” Chhabra says dismissingly.

Krislinzki reiterated Chhabra’s claim, stating, “The show isn’t for debutantes alone. I don’t want to do small roles and will work hard to enter the big league. This is a brilliant platform, one that allows me to hone my skills.”