Actor Aahana S Kumra, who has clocked a decade in the Hindi film industry, feels getting work has become more difficult today for her, compared to when she started out. “Clout and networking are the only things you are getting jobs through. A lot of actors are confused how to navigate it, as we are being told to be aggressively active on social media and get PR agencies,” she says.

The actor explains how social media has become more of a curse for actors than a boon. “When I started out, there wasn’t this kind of pressure, to look a certain way on social media and keep doing reels and dance videos. A lot of casting today happens on the basis of your social media following. It’s painful to get work in today’s time. Even filmmakers who you want to work with are moving towards people with social media clout, the influencers. So, actors are left wondering, ‘Should I become an influencer and start dancing on social media to get a job? Should I start ranting, do mimicry or be like a Dilli ki aunty?’ Is this how you are going to get a job?” she wonders.

Kumra, 39, feels influencers replacing professional actors in projects isn’t a great idea: “We will be lacking actors in our industry after a point. If you are being told to make a social media reel daily and dance to get cast, who’s going to act?”

She insists that besides the pressure of social media, being an outsider also acts as a disadvantage: “It is a brutal industry. It won’t give you a second chance as an outsider, though as an insider, you’d get 20-30 films to ruin before you figure out how to perform. Kids from film families are groomed from the age of five to be in the industry. It’s a bit clannish in today’s time,” she ends.