Ankur Bhatia: Even though actors are being appreciated, they are still compared to the star

It’s been 10 years since I came to Mumbai to become an actor. Though I love being a part of the industry and I’m happy with the work I’m doing, I get confused with the audience’s obsession with ‘stars’. Our movies and actors have entertained audiences across the world. However, the industry is now heavily reliant on star power, which often overshadows other aspects of filmmaking. Being an actor is not just about being a lead star in the film.

Every actor has an important part in making a film enjoyable. I started my career as a background actor and worked my way up to play the lead in a film. On OTT, there are so many actors doing great work. But I still feel even though actors are being appreciated, they are still compared to a ‘star’. While people appreciate my work, there’s always a comment, ‘You should play the lead in your next’.

I was lucky to start my career in a film that included actors like Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. I then played Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s husband, was paired alongside Shraddha Kapoor and also did projects alongside Sushmita Sen and Shahid Kapoor recently. Whenever these projects came out, I felt the hard work of the cast and crew was overshadowed due to the audience’s obsession with stars. As a result, the publicity, including the trailers and online ads, are all centered around the stars so that the studios can attract the audience to watch their content. It’s a vicious cycle and a never-ending race!

On the one hand, we debate about nepotism, yet people are more interested in the whereabouts of stars and star kids. I feel in this new age of social media, a bigger problem has taken over – a competition to stand out and constantly create content to impress the audience.

Everything is slowly becoming fake. From blueticks to paid views to reviews to ratings to paid paparazzi to pretty much everything that surrounds us. Everything on YouTube has millions of views the day it’s released.

Where are we headed? I have been in this race for a while and I’ve made peace with it. But I see stress around me when I interact with my friends from the fraternity. Can’t we just enjoy the content and performances and appreciate them for what they are? Just a thought!