Shreyas Talpade: I’ve never done a Karan Johar or a Yash Raj film, but that doesn’t make me any less an actor
Actor Shreyas Talpade considers himself a ‘proud outsider’ who has come this far in Bollywood without any connections, and he adds that industry kids would never know how it feels to do everything on your own.
Many actors have spoken on the insider vs outsider debate in Bollywood, most have maintained that nothing beats talent. Actor Shreyas Talpade, too, says that while the insider-outsider divide exists in the film industry, talent surpasses all such debates.
“Nepotism and favouritism are here to stay. But we can’t just focus on that while moving ahead. At least I don’t want to. I’ve never done a Karan Johar or a Yash Raj film, I’ve never approached them, nor have they showed interest in working with me. But that doesn’t make me any less an actor. It also doesn’t mean the end of my career,” he asserts.
Instead of cribbing about not getting a chance to work with big banners, the 44-year-old is happy that he could fulfil his dream of working with people he admires, such as actors Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan, and filmmakers Farah Khan and Rohit Shetty.
“Now I want to work with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, too. But then I’ll only work with them in opportunities where I’m equally respected because I deserve that for the hard work I’ve been putting in, in my work,” he says.
Given that Talpade has come this far in the industry without hailing from a film family or having any connections, he considers himself a proud outsider.
“My days of struggle when I didn’t have money to pay rent, buy a sandwich or take a bus to the studio, made me even stronger. Industry kids would never know how it feels to do everything on your own. Let them have their privileges. I feel sorry they don’t have a beautiful journey like we do,” he opines.
The Golmalaal actor points out that after the initial push that most of the star kids get in Bollywood, rest is talent and hard work that decide their fate. “We all know it but take time to accept it. The sooner we do, the saner we become,” concludes the actor, who has a film Welcome To Bajrangpur coming up besides a web film and a Marathi project.
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Author tweets @Shreya_MJ
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