Jasmin Bhasin: I have lost roles because castings are happening on the basis of social media following
Actor Jasmin Bhasin expresses her desire to make her OTT and Bollywood debut, and how castings now happen on the basis of their social media following.
Actor Jasmin Bhasin has been on a hiatus from the daily soap scene for the past three years, and she reveals it has not been an intentional move for her.
“I would not say that there is a specific intention behind staying away from TV,” tells Bhasin, who was last seen in Naagin 4 in 2020, adding, “I have been open to the opportunities. But, since the last few years, I am in the process of transforming into other mediums of entertainment, like OTT space and movies, maybe that’s why I am being missed from the scene. I am working really hard towards it”.
When it comes to her web debut, the actor also reveals that she is still waiting for the right script to come her way. Bhasin explains, “I have been planning to enter the OTT space since the last two years, but unfortunately I haven’t come across any script which I feel should be my OTT debut, because I have always been really careful in choosing roles.”
“Fans hamesha mujhe appreciate karte hain, so they really value and wait to see what I am going to do next, that’s why I am looking for a good solid script for my OTT or Bollywood debut. Things are not able to materialise, but I am not going to give up till things don’t happen because I don’t believe in giving up. I am waiting for it to happen and I’m trying my best,” the 33-year-old adds.
What kind of role is she expecting? “I definitely want to get into a space where I get to prove myself as a performer and actor,” Bhasin asserts, adding that the castings are now dependent on your social media following. “Because now, I believe that a lot of castings are happening on the basis of your social media following. Somewhere I feel that as an actor who has been doing this for 15 years and acting is my craft, still you lose projects because you are not that popular on social media, it is kind of disheartening. You have put in years of labour, pain, and sweat, so when you lose good projects which you really want to do only because you just want to act and not make other things a priority,” she elaborates.
Ask her if stereotyping might be the reason behind getting less opportunities, she defends the television medium, saying, “Aisa toh nahi hua hai I think. TV actors are kind of stereotyped and put in a box unfortunately, but I strongly feel that we should use it as a strength. Doing television is not easy because we work for 12-15 hours daily. Television actors are kind of pros and can give better output. Television is underestimated, but it is one of the strongest mediums.”
Having said that, she quips, “Many times I have also been typecasted and I’ve lost roles that ‘Oh, she has done television, we don’t want a television face’. Why not?”.
Another thing that she has been waiting for is her projects going on floors. “There are a few projects, but they have been in the pipeline for two years. Things materialise but they don’t end up on floors due to some or the other reason. I am just waiting and praying for my stars to align and bring those projects from the pipeline to the floors,” shares Bhasin, who was last seen in her Punjabi debut film Honeymoon (2022).
