What Determines a Supporting Actor?

I mean, how do they judge if the character is supporting or main?

Like, yesterday this I read on Raja's article ---> "She might have been the supporting actress, but she won both the man and the film." Yeah, Raja called Diana Penty the supporting actress... But, according to me, if anyone played the supporting character in Cocktail, that was Saif 😆 (Even Sharmila Tagor once told Saif that Cocktail was not his movie, it was the movie of those two girls). But, almost all the critics are calling Diana's role supporting role. How did they determine whose was the supporting one? Do they pick Supporting character like these (When there are two male/female leads in the movie)?:

A. The one who is already a big star is the main lead & the other comparatively less popular star is the supporting one. (That makes Diana the supporting )

B. The actor who has less screen space than the other is supporting one. (Deepika & Diana both had equal space, so none of them was supporting character)

C. The Girl who eventually gets the boy (Or vice versa) is the main, & the loser is the supporting (That makes Deepika the supporting chararcter)

D. The one whose story the movie is telling woh protagonist hai, baaki sab paani kam hai 😆 (So who was paani kam in Cocktail??? 🤔 Veronica? Nah! Meera? Nah! Gautam? Nah!)

I'm curious to know how do they determine the supporting cast! 😕

I used Cocktail as an example. You guys can use any movie as example.

Originally posted by: abby_girl30

I think supporting actor is decided by the amount of screen space given compared to the lead and then how much are they used prominently in posters & promotions

A supporting actor can get more complex and exciting character but the lead is the one who is present in every frame and forms the base of the story...that's what I think 😆

In cocktail though for sure...Saif was the supporting actor LOL

So your answer is B & D 😆

Originally posted by: yepme

In bollywood, supporting character is defined by who is cast in the role rather than the role itself

& you picked A.

typical bollywood labels those who don't get the hero/heroine at the end as supporting. SERIOUSLY, time to grow up!

kareena was called the supporting actress if talaash in many articles and rani the main just because she is the wife! how typical. Kareena was the hero of the movie, the accident revolved around her, rani was the supporting one who did not have a direct link with the story

Originally posted by: -Maddy-

Stardom Stardom and Stardom...

Bigger the star more chance of them in the best actor/actress category.

Lesser stars and newbies are mostly the ones nominated in the supporting actor category.

Example: HR for best actor, ZNMD. All three had equal roles, but the other two were nominated in the supporting actor category.

Did they choose Aamir from RDB?