Actor Rajit Kapur recently made a statement that character actors in Bollywood are monetarily exploited even today. Actor Akhilendra Mishra, who featured in the Oscar -nominated film Lagaan (2001), agrees and says, “Har producer paisa kam dena chahta hai. Koi lihaaj nahin karta. Now, with the corporate culture, the people who discuss remuneration with you are newbies who aren’t even aware of your body of work. Woh bas phone uthaake call kar dete hain aur bargain karte hain.”

The 62-year-old adds that there’s only one section that makes money. “Iss industry mein sirf stars aur producers paisa kamaate hain, aur koi nahin. Aaj bhi character artiste agar hospitalized ho jaaye toh dawai ke bhi paise nahin hote. There are so many musicians, art directors and even actors who die in oblivion,” says the actor.

Mishra, known for his roles in films such as The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002), Hulchul (2004) and Ready (2011), among others, says while stars are the selling point of any film, “ek film ki aatma character artiste hota hai”. “If a film doesn’t have good character artistes, the film doesn’t have memorable performances,” he says.