Why do Television Actors Pretend to be broke?
Friday, September 23, 2005 15:2:39 IST
Most television actors show a desperation to make a quick buck. But
we wonder they behave in a petty manner when it comes to spending
money!
There was a time when television actors were regarded as small fry,
especially in comparison with film stars, but today the balance has
changed! Television actors seem to have become bigger than film
actors. Blame that on 'media overhype'! Of course, it also had to do
with mainstream Bollywood actors entering television to make their
mega bucks. To a certain extent, this growing popularity of
television also had to do with the quality of Bollywood films a
while back. In comparison, people felt TV soaps were far more
progressive and in-tune with the present times. With the kind of
budgets allotted they looked glossy too. So it came as no surprise
when people thought it was worthwhile staying back home and watch
television. Also blame this trend on the soaring ticket prices. So
with this close proximity to television came a closeness to the
television actors too.
The media sensed this and cashed in on this in a big way. If you
recall a few years back a reputed publishing house had introduced a
magazine exclusively for the television industry but no one seemed
interested in reading about them then. The magazine vanished soon.
Today it's a different story. Every little thing about television
actors, including their bowel movements, is regarded as gossip! With
this hype came the star status. Even a debutant television actor can
become a star overnight if he plays his cards well. All he needs is
a few friends in the media and a well-oiled PR machinery. No wonder
today unheard of names on television have become household names.
Like film stars and cricketers, television actors too have become
very busy with ribbon cuttings, shows, appearances at Navratri
functions in India and abroad, and recently a restaurant
inauguration too. They are even willing to travel anywhere, even
remote areas. Some time back a group of television actors traveled
by train to reach a place about five hours from Surat for a show.
The other popular places are Ahmedabad, Raipur, and Baroda.
The festive season is approaching and soon they will get busy
striking deals with organizers. Most of them inform the production
houses well in advance and their shooting dates are rescheduled
according to their show dates. The actors are even said to work
overtime and finish a big chunk of their work before leaving. It's
said that each one has their rates worked out according to their
market status and a lot of haggling and negotiating too is involved.
They are even said to cross check and double check about how much
the other is being paid. Obviously the bigger stars command a higher
price sometimes even going up to 3 lakhs. Of course, this is the
figure quoted by them but they probably get about a lakh or so
lesser. Nausheen and Anuj Saxena are said to quote this figure. Here
again, Balaji actors are said to command a higher price. Swetta
Keswani has gone on record to say this some time back. This is also
Balaji's way of compensating the actors for their haywire shooting
schedules. Poonam Dhillon is said to demand 2 lakhs but finally
agrees to a lesser amount whereas the smaller ones get as much as
25,000 to 50,000. Rajeev Khandelwal had quoted about a lakh for an
appearance recently but finally agreed to 40,000. Call this
desperation to make a quick buck or making fruitful use of their
free time! Shama Sikander of 'Yeh Meri Life Hain' is heavily into
endorsements thus cashing in on her newfound fame. Hiten Tejwani and
Gauri Pradhan charged a bomb for their Gutkha ad.
Hiten Tejwani, Juhi Parmar, Hussain, Aashka Goradia, Tasneem, Rucha
Gujarati, Sweta Kwatre, Sakshi Tanwar, Swetta Keswani, Narayani,
Manav Gohil, and Chetan Hansraj are said to be very willing
candidates. A group is said to have just returned from a show in
Pakistan. Mona Singh (Jassi) is cashing in on her popularity in a
big way and charges a hefty sum for every appearance. She's even
said to leave without informing the production house or the channel.
Even the organizers are not spared of the actors' tantrums and
demands. It's said that the married lot ask for their spouses too to
be accommodated while the single girls insist on their mothers
accompanying them. So most times, it's a case of the actors not just
making money but also having a blast at the organizers' cost.
Of course, money is important and everyone is here to make a fast
buck. While Balaji is known to underpay their new actors, the
established actors are minting money.
Even character actors in daily soaps are paid a decent sum and most
of them are doing at least two or three daily soaps. So we wonder
why this desperation to make a fast buck!
Now the big question is, when they are making their moolah through
their work and otherwise, why are they, barring a few, always
cribbing and behaving in a broke manner. Message any television
actor asking him to call you for an interview and he'll very
promptly and sweetly request you to call. One gets the same response
if the actor by mistake returns a missed call on his cell. He'll
politely ask you to call him back in five minutes. Irrfan Khan and
Chaitanya Chaudhari are known for this. But here we have to add that
Smriti Malhotra (Tulsi) always makes it a point to return every
missed call and has none of this petty behaviour. But otherwise this
petty behaviour on the part of TV actors today, besides their false
sense of stardom, is obnoxious and putting off to most people!
such a lengthy article..😳v dont hav 2 miss anything abt HU-JU!😉😆
I agree with it that nowadays TV actors r becuming more popular than Film stars!😊..take the example of HUSSAIN!😉
Cricket
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