‘NO LABELS AS TV OR FILM ACTORS IN THE WEST’
Actor Dheeraj Dhoopar says such tags lead to discrimination. Adds, there should be more respect for actors working on television
Dheeraj Dhoopar is riding high on success. His ongoing Ekta Kapoorproduced TV show is garnering good ratings and his popularity has soared since his last TV show Sasuraal Simar Ka. But the actor, who has been acting in various TV shows since 2009, opposes the labels given to actors who work in daily soaps. “I wonder why people tag us as TV actors. The West doesn’t label actors as film or TV actors. We are inspired by a lot of things from the West, so why not this as well. Actors there, are not looked down upon irrespective of the medium. People in the West know the actors by their names and for the work they do. I hope we do the same here. I want to be called an actor — that’s it. TV is a huge medium. I want respect for actors who work on television.”
Dheeraj also wants to try his hand at movies, but he feels there is a certain bias in the film industry against actors on TV. He says, “Many people look down upon actors on TV. In fact, actors on TV work harder than actors in films. For example, I shoot 25-27 days a month for 12 hours with additional two hours of travel. I am left with one or two hours for myself before I sleep. I have to maintain myself, so working out takes up that time. I don’t have time to breathe as this is my routine for 27 days a month. Whereas in films, actors get time to prepare and they usually shoot 2-3 scenes a day while I shoot 8-10 scenes on average every day. I am not dismissing or discrediting film actors by this comparison but I hope to bring attention to the fact that one shouldn’t do the same with actors on TV, which usually happens at events.”
Dheeraj who is currently working on his seventh TV show, enjoys a large fan following and is thankful to the people who have loved him. He says, “No one can dispute TV’s reach. Actors on TV have a huge number of fans. The audiences love the characters we play and want to know more about us. I often get mails and fan requests about my styling and hairstyle.”
The quality of the content on the small screen has always been a topic of debate and Dheeraj admits that producers are now trying to better themselves with each show. “We cater to audiences who are watching us. We are doing a great job and the industry has churned huge numbers revenue-wise. We have brilliant talent from cast to crew. Many shows use worldclass VFX too, which were earlier seen only in films.”