‘THERE IS NO FAIR PLAY ON THE GROUND’
Despite favouritism, actor Radhika Madan says she won’t ‘victimise’ herself
The debate around favouritism and nepotism in Bollywood has been reignited after the sudden demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. And actor Radhika Madan, who has had a similar career trajectory as the late actor — a popular TV actor making it big in films — agrees
with its relevance but wonders why it takes such a drastic step by someone for people to realise the problem.
“There’s no denying the fact that nepotism exists [in the industry]. There’s no fair play on the ground, and we all are aware of it. But my problem is, for this issue to come up, do we actually need somebody to sacrifice their life? This has been prevailing for a long time. Why do we have to address it at the cost of somebody’s life?” she asks.
The Angrezi Medium actor is disheartened to see people peddling theories around Rajput’s death, and feels that it may dilute the whole issue. “Why do we need to fulfil our own agenda using that person? Nobody knows why he did what he did. Everybody is just speculating. We need to differentiate the two things. If you want to address the issue, do it, but don’t take somebody’s name,” she points.
And now that many actors have reaffirmed the fact that there’s favouritism towards the so-called insiders, does she foresee any positive change in the times to come? “Yes, so we need to solve it. But will it happen? I’m not sure. Will it subside after everything has cooled down? Maybe! But that doesn’t stop me from giving my 200%. I’d still try my luck despite knowing that a project is going to X or Y person’s daughter or son. I’d still go to the producer and say that I need to audition for the film. I wouldn’t crib and sit around victimising myself,” she says.
The last few months were particularly devastating for Madan, 25, who lost two of her colleagues — Irrfan and Rajput. But she has found solace in music as she made her first professional appearance in a musical showcase, playing the keyboard in Jasleen Royal’s rendition of the song, Lag Jaa Gale. “Yes, the period has been tough. It’s just about learning from them, how they lived their lives and celebrated the leaps… The unconventional path that they both took, it’s very inspiring for a lot of young actors like me,” she shares.