‘Actors on TV are not given enough respect’

Shama Sikander is glad to have come a full circle. She started her career in films with Prem Aggan (1998) and later did TV shows including Ye Meri Life Hai and Baal Veer. A year ago, she starred in an erotic thriller, Maaya, and is now working on a film starring Neil Nitin Mukesh which is being directed by his brother, Naman Nitin Mukesh. “I am thoroughly enjoying working with them as they are wonderful people,” she says.

Shama enjoys being on different mediums and feels the reach of the internet is unbeatable. She says, “Having said that, content on TV, films and internet have different kinds of audiences but as an actor, every medium is interesting and has a distinct quality. When I started my career, I started with films and then I did TV, followed by theatre and recently a web series. And now I am doing a film again. Films do have a larger-than-life appeal but I also feel actors on TV are not given enough respect or paid well as a film actor. I understand box-office collections matter but I don’t understand why TV gets a second-hand treatment in the entertainment industry. In fact, on events and live shows, a one-film wonder is treated like a star over a celebrated TV star. Kya film ka hero or heroine hona such a big deal? It is a sad scenario. I hope TV actors are treated with respect for their talent.”

She admits that she, too, has felt that discrimination many times, and says she had to “deal with it”. “Money has never been important to me. I have been part of many popular TV shows and I have done fewer projects in my career than I would have liked. But now I am going to be seen more often on screen,” she promises.

Shama Sikander