Rajesh Kumar Reveals Insecurity Among Stars, Lack of Respect for Supporting Actors
Rajesh Kumar: Actor Rajesh Kumar spoke about Bollywood's star culture and how superstars treat supporting actors on set.
Indian film industry is highly dominated by stars. The budget of a movie often depends on its lead actor and his/her name, who are considered as the assurance for the success of that particular movie. This has led to a situation where supporting actors are not getting enough recognition. Not too long ago, Rajesh Kumar, an Indian actor, talked about stars and their behavior towards supporting actors.
During a conversation on Aftab Punto's YouTube channel, "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai" fame actor Rajesh Kumar explained that if you go to the set of a big film, the conversation about a scene is limited to only 4-5 people. These people are the director, cinematographer, lead actor, and main writer. The experiences of others are of no importance. The actor said, "Although I've never worked with Amitabh Bachchan, I've heard that he likes to rehearse his scenes with the supporting actors. But that's not the case with other stars."
The actor further added, "Recently, I haven't seen any of the lead actors rehearse with us. They either rehearse with the writer or the assistant. They don't interact with the supporting actors at all. This is what hurts the film because sometimes people think the supporting actors will outshine them. Many stars are sometimes insecure about working with talented supporting actors, so they try to put obstacles in their way. They make sure that the supporting actors only get the last few moments of their dialogue."
Recalling his personal experience, Rajesh Kumar said, "I've worked with some great actors who don't even look at you and ask their assistants, 'Why are you saying this?' No, we don't need rehearsals. We'll just take a straight take. I'm just saying we have to break out of this system."
Rajesh Kumar recalled working with Dimple Kapadia during the shooting of "Teri Baatein Mein Aisa Ulza Jiya" in Jodhpur. He said, "Dimple Kapadia inspired us. She asked everyone about their well-being and asked them to tell her about themselves."
Rajesh Kumar first gained fame with "Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai," but in the two decades since that show, he has worked in shows like "Baa Bahu Aur Baby," "Neeli Chhatri Wale," web series like "Kota Factory," "Yeh Meri Family," and films like "Saiyaara," "Nishanchi," and "Teri Baatein Mein Aisa Ulza Jiya."
