TOI: Whose bigger-char or actor? Jay

The tragedy of television is that the actors are constantly struggling to carve out an identity for themselves.

They wish to be known by their real names and not the reel ones. But that seldom happens, mainly because on TV, it's always the character that matters, not the actor. So, what do the artistes have to say about this?

Ram Kapoor (best remembered as Mr Walia of Kasamh Se) Usually, the character is bigger than the actor, but it depends. If the actor is a star, he would obviously be bigger than the character. However, the bottom line is that they both go hand-in-hand — you can't have one without the other.

Meghna Malik (best remembered as Ammaji of Na Aana Is Des Laado) An actor alone cannot create a character. It is created by the writer; then come in the director and actor. When a character is well-written, it becomes a delight for an actor to portray it. It's unfortunate that on TV, the names of actors find no place in the credit rolls.

Shashank Vyas (popular as Jagdish of Balika Vadhu) The character is definitely bigger. If a popular actor is the face of the show, the strength of the character lays the foundation for him. Character makes the actor. Audiences identify with the character and connect with it.

Aishwarya Sakhuja (best remembered as aka Toasty of Saas Bina Sasural) On television, unless you have a great body of work, an actor would always be recognised by his or her screen name, as viewers connect with the character. However, this doesn't hold true for films. On television, it is the character that becomes the star unlike films, where the actor is the star. But in both mediums, if you are out of sight, you are out of mind.

Kritika Kamra (best remembered as Dr Nidhi of Kuch Toh Log Kahenge) The script is what makes or breaks it. Today's audiences are smart and they go for content, not just names. An actor plays a great role in making the character believable. But no matter how talented an actor is, if the character isn't meant for him, it won't work. I think the success of an actor depends on the popularity of his/her character.

Nandish Sandhu (best remembered as Veer of Uttaran) A character carries more value than the actor. The actor is totally dependent on the character he plays. If he fails to get into the character, it means he has failed as an actor.

Jay Soni (best remembered as Ishaan of Sasural Genda Phool) A character is bigger than the actor. If an actor is good, he brings life to the character and eventually wins audiences' hearts. But if the character is well-etched out and the actor fails to do justice to it, the audiences find it difficult to connect with it, which spoils the show."