Do film sets too have a class system? A question the internet has been asking after an interview with actor Rajesh Kumar went viral. As per the actor, the supporting casts are often sidelined by the main actors and it is one of the main reasons why some films fail tragically.
The film world may be full of glitz and glamour but behind the curtains the real struggle unfolds. Every minute counts for new actors, and each small success becomes a stepping stone to something bigger. However, once an actor reaches the peak of their career, biases begin to take shape. In a similar context, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai actor Rajesh Kumar has opened up on the harsh reality on the Indian film industry’s set.
The actor talked about how the big stars only rehearse with the lead members like the cinematographers or directors and ignore the supporting casts. This somehow harms the overall output of the film because great things only come out of a good team work. He said, “If you go on a big set, only 4-5 people are discussing everything. The director, the cinematographer, the main actors, and the main writer. Rest of the people, their experiences that they don’t count for anything”.
"Lately, I have not seen any main actor rehearse with us. Either they rehearse with the writer or the assistant. They don’t have any interaction with the secondary cast, and that is why the film suffers because sometimes people think that the secondary actor might overshadow us”, he added.
Rajesh also talked about how he has heard that Amitabh Bachchan has always been the one superstar who has always rehearsed his lines with his supporting actors. It's a quality he deeply admires and wishes to work with the man one day.
Apart from the negative insights he also shared a positive experience with actress Dimple Kapadia. He said, “In this matter, there was Dimple Kapadia who inspired us.” He added, recalling an incident when she asked everyone to pause for a moment and share something about themselves while they were busy praising her.
He said, “Five minutes into the conversation, she just said, ‘Sorry to stop you all. I take all the compliments with gratitude, but please tell me something about yourselves. How did you get into this line of work? What kind of roles do you like? Because I don’t know so many things, so I want to know about you.’ This inspired me”.
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