Does the small-screen tag still weigh down actors keen to make a transition to the big screen?
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 20, 2020)

Sushant Singh Rajput was the biggest TV-to-film success story in recent times. And his death has indeed brought a pall of gloom in the TV industry, especially to many who looked up to the actor’s phenomenal journey.

Actor Radhika Madan recalled how, when she was transitioning from television to movies, people always said, ‘Don’t do it’. “And I remember always giving them Sushant’s example. He made it look.. achievable. He inspired many actors like me,” she posted recently. Actors such as Mohit Raina and Karan Kundrra, too, shared how Rajput inspired many small-screen actors eyeing the big screen. But his death has raised questions on whether TV actors are whole-heartedly accepted in the film industry, despite the precedent of a certain Shah Rukh Khan.

Actor Hiten Tejwani, who has dabbled in both TV and films, with his last big-screen appearance in Kalank (2019), says in Bollywood, unlike in the West, some still believe in the demarcation of a TV actor and film actor. “But it is slowly going away. Casting TV actors does get a bit difficult as people have the thing of TV actors being over-exposed,” he says.

TV actor Manasi Parekh (below), who made her Bollywood debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), feels stigmas around TV actors are long gone. “Whatever struggles he [Rajput] had, what he could or could not do, is his journey. We all loved him as an actor, he was extremely talented. It is unfortunate what happened. But we should let it be, not speculate,” she says.

Film trade analyst Atul Mohan feels talent is what matters at the end of the day and, in the recent past, there has been “a healthy influx of actors from the television world in films”.

Actor Rohan Mehra, who starred in the TV shows Bade Achhe Lagte Hain and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, besides a few films, says, “He [Rajput] was an inspiration; his death is a demotivation for sure. If your inspiration does this after achieving so much, what are we going to do?”

And actor Ragini Khanna, star of several hit TV projects and films such as Teen Thay Bhai (2011) and Gurgaon (2017), observes every industry is tough. “Films are not a step up and TV is not a step down. We should not look at it like that. As an actor when you are out there, who are you seeking acceptance from? The only acceptance an actor needs is from the audience,” she shares.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; January 30, 2019)

Manasi Parekh Gohil, who has serials like India Calling, Sapna Babul Ka Bidaai and Sumeet Sambhal Lega to her credit, made her big screen debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike, which has raked in over Rs 150 crores already at the box office. Understandably, the actress is excited. “I’m overwhelmed with not only the kind of response the film has got, but also my performance. A lot of people didn’t know I was in the movie because I didn’t talk about it before. Now, through word-of-mouth they are discovering that I have a strong and powerful character and are appreciating my performance,” says Manasi, who plays Vicky Kaushal’s sister in the film.

The scene where she breaks down after her husband, an army officer played by Mohit Raina, dies, is one of the most poignant ones in the film. Manasi shares that the scene was nailed in one take! “Two things that helped me draw the emotions were the fact she is pregnant when her husband dies. She is mourning for him and the unborn child, who will not have a father. Being a mother myself, I knew how sensitive the situation can be. One gets so sensitive during pregnancy and something like this can create havoc. I had auditioned for the same scene and the director had loved it. So, when it came to the shoot, he told me he wanted it to be performed in the same manner,” says the actress.

Ask her how it was working with Vicky, the man-of-the-moment and she gushes,  “Vicky is lambi race ka ghoda. He is challenging himself with new roles and performances. It was fabulous working with him. He is absolutely generous as a co-actor and has no starry airs. All my friends love Vicky. When I posted pictures with him, they said, ‘We are so jealous of you for working with him!’”

Actress with Vicky Kaushal, Swaroop Sampat, Mohit Raina and Reva, who plays her on-screen daughter in the film

Television actress making her film debut with Aditya Dhar’s next
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 4, 2018)

Manasi Parekh who has worked in popular shows like Zindagi Ka Har Rang… Gulaal, Star Ya Rockstar and Sumit Sambhal Lega, is making her film debut with the Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam and Mohit Raina-starrer Uri. She joined the team recently during a shoot at a Chembur studio.

Manasi plays the wife of Mohit Raina and the sister of Vicky Kaushal, both army officers. “There are really intense dramatic scenes between Vicky and her,” informed a source from the set.

The actress, when contacted, told Mirror, “My role will showcase what the wives of officers go through when they are fighting for the country. Sharing the screen with Vicky, Mohit and Swaroop Sampat is really exciting for me after going on a maternity break in November 2016. I’ve been doing ads and shows since my daughter Nirvi was three months old but a good role in a Hindi film is the perfect comeback.”