FAVOURITISM EXISTS OPENLY IN TV, SAYS KAMYA PANJABI
Actor Kamya Panjabi isn’t one to shy away from calling a spade a spade. And she admits upfront that nepotism and favouritism do exist in showbiz, a debate that has been raked after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. “This happens, and will in the future, too. If the actors raise their voice, they won’t be cast again by the channel, and will be banned from every production house. Then, you will get to know that they have gone and committed suicide. And people will say, ‘Oh! You will be missed, rest in peace, paison ki kami nahi thi’. Bullsh*t,” she says. Panjabi explains why giving up on life isn’t a solution. “I lost Pratyusha Banerjee, and after that I have been in touch with her parents. And no matter what I do to make them happy… I haven’t been able to repair the damage. The one who goes away does that because he or she is sad. But just see what they leave behind,” the actor says. Rajput’s death came as a big shock, and Panjabi says that just seeing the pictures of the late actor’s father left her teary eyed. “I don’t know them personally, maybe just met Sushant at a few parties. Voh maayoos lachaar baap kya karega?” asks the actor. Panjabi, 40, urges people to speak out about any difficulty they face. “Yes, nepotism bhar-bhar ke hai yahaan. Dikhao na apni himmat, kaho laat maarte hain tumhaari film industry ko… Agar jaana hi hai, awaaz uthaake jaao. After Sushant, I have heard so many incidents of suicides. What is happening to the youth? Fight back,” she says.