Surveen Chawla was once replaced in a film by someone with better contacts

Actor Surveen Chawla made her transition to films when she was at her peak on television. She became a known name with shows such as Kahiin To Hoga and Kasautii Zindagi Kay, and also did the Kannada film Paramesha Panwala the same year (2008) she left the fiction space on TV.

Since then, she has been a part of Bollywood films such as Hate Story 2 (2014), which was successful at the box office, and Parched (2015), which got her critical acclaim.

Having successfully transitioned to the big screen, does Surveen feel that having a godfather or ‘connections’ in the industry helps one in grabbing good opportunities?

“No, one doesn’t need to have a godfather. It’s just that everybody in the industry needs to open up to more people. You need to see that there is talent in people, and it doesn’t depend on where they come from. I say this absolutely bluntly, because I feel chances should be given to more people, not just one or two or five,” she says.

Elaborating on why she feels this way, the actor says, “People sitting up there, who have the background of the industry, don’t want to open their eyes! There are only, say, five people they work with. I can’t get my head around this sometimes. One should have the courage and vision to pick people for the characters, and try new people.”

A lot has been said about nepotism and how the film industry always launches a star kid readily, opposed to the many hurdles outsiders have to face. Has there been any instance when Surveen was finalised for a role, and a star kid replaced her?

“Yes, it did happen with me once. It’s one of the worst feelings, and made me feel demotivated,” she reveals. “It happened about six years back, when I was making my [TV to films] transition. The question is not of my talent, but about somebody who had better contacts; that’s it. It took me sometime to come out of it, but then other things happened, and it instilled confidence back in me,” she says.

Surveen Chawla has worked in films such as Hate Story 2 (2014), Welcome Back, and Parched (2015)