There are only a handful of TV actors who’ve made a mark in films: Karan

It is extremely tough for actors who have established themselves on TV to make a break in films. I don’t want to sound like a hater but the industry does demoralise you from trying to achieve your dreams, especially for TV actors,” says Karan Tacker, adding that as an industry, TV was quite welcoming for him as he did show after show.

Tacker started his career with the TV show Love Ne Mila Di Jodi in 2009 and went on to gain popularity with Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai. Thereafter, he didn’t take up acting projects on TV as he waited for better opportunities, preferably in films. In the interim, he hosted a number of shows including The Voice and The Remix. It was with Neeraj Pandey’s web show Special Ops, that he got his big break.

He shares, “Who’d have thought that a TV actor would work with a National Award winning filmmaker? There are only a handful of TV actors who’ve made a mark in films. And we can count them on one hand. The stigma that people have about me was resolved after the web show. It has been tough to reach here but I knew I didn’t want to succumb to doing content that I wasn’t happy with.”

Talking about the wait for a project of his dreams, he says, “I paid a big price for waiting and it comes at the cost of your sanity. It is tough to constantly cheer yourself up. In this profession, it is not a given that if you are a good actor, you will get good work. I am not delusional. It’s a business at the end of the day. Unfortunately, we downsize the achievements of actors from other fields, just so that they don’t make it into films.”

Tacker admits that he auditioned for Karan Johar’s Student of The Year 2 but refutes rumours that he had bagged the antagonist’s role. “I don’t know how they (rumours) blew out of proportion. Yes, I auditioned but I wasn’t selected. It is the nature of the job. I don’t feel let down. I am friends with them. There is so much money riding so if the makers feel you don’t fit the part, you respect it and then you move on. I take pride in auditioning instead of saying I got an offer because I belong to a certain family. I know I will have to walk the extra mile,” he signs off.