Nia Sharma never minces words. This time she has shown support for experienced actors like Mouli Ganguly, who recently said she was rejected for a TV show because she did not have a huge following on social media. Nia posted a message on Instagram expressing her support for Mouli. In an exclusive chat with us, Nia says, “There are issues in every field and profession, but sometimes it is appalling to read or hear about things that happen in showbiz. TV industry has no dearth of talented, experienced actors, but they may not have a good following on social media. How does that matter?”

She further says it’s disrespectful to judge an actor on the basis of their social media fan following. She shares, “Social media should be limited to your personal life, it can’t be a basis to cast someone in a project. There are some senior actors who have a limited following, but they are doing wonders in telly shows.”

Nia, who is very active on social media and has a notable fan following, says that so far in her career, she has bagged projects on the basis of her talent. She explains, “Yes, I have a great following, but that hasn’t helped me bag a role. On the contrary, when I did Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai 10 years ago, I was not on Instagram, but the show had a good viewership. Casting was not dependent on social media earlier. Currently, this entire perception that actors with a good fan following can bring good ratings is bizarre.” 

The actress agrees that social media does help actors bag digital collaborations and stay in touch with their fans. “It has its positives, but equating it with a person’s acting talent and overall popularity is unfair,” says Nia, who was last seen in Naagin 4, which ended in 2020.