Balraj Syal: Influencers are not compared with actors, that is wrong

Actor Balraj Syal says that social media is important but it is somewhere misused as well. The actor firmly believes that it should not be given so much importance where casting for projects is concerned.

“Nowadays, people see such things and judge you. They don't see your skills and talent, people just judge you on the basis of your social media numbers. Even big shows and films are cast like this. Earlier looks and auditions used to happen, skills used to be noticed but today only numbers are seen. Influencers are now compared with actors which is very wrong. I never feel that I have less number of followers but people make me feel it,” he says.

The actor is not someone who is very active on the platform. “I keep taking breaks. There are gaps in my posts as well. In life, you should take breaks from everything, except life itself. If you are eating healthy every day then there has to be one of the cheat days. If you have eaten too many sweets in a week then there should be detox days. If you are working out regularly then there should be rest days as well. A break is very necessary,” he says.

However, the pressure is immense, he says, “I think social media has impacted people so much that when actors see that, from nowhere, a small boy or a girl makes some dance reels, then that goes more viral and they are invited as guests on TV shows, so somewhere that insecurity comes in. The obsession of social media gets high. However, you need to not lose that personal touch. I always make sure that people who are close to me, I always wish them on call. Today, everybody checks their phones and see the notifications as soon as they get up. This time of mine is wasted every day. So sometimes, after every one or one and a half months, I start using that small Nokia phone that used to come earlier. I save time like this. My wife, too, sometimes scolds me and tells me to put my phone away,” he adds.

Talking about making professional announcements on the medium, Balraj says, “This is totally a personal choice. Everyone has the right to privacy. Fans get happy to see your achievements and they feel special. In today's time, it's necessary to keep your fans involved. People like me don't like to post that much. I post announcements also when everything gets finalised. People do these things maybe because they want to attract brands.”