‘Insider vs outsider debate wasn’t supposed to be an ugly witch-hunt’
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise has not only left behind several unanswered questions but has also stirred many relevant debates around Bollywood’s functioning. And while actor Sandhya Mridul is all for the ensuing discussions, she rues how they have taken an ugly turn.
“Sushant left behind a very important debate. And I believe that everything should be a discussion, and not mentally abusive to anybody. This whole insider vs outsider debate wasn’t supposed to be an ugly witch hunting battle. It was supposed to be a conversation,” she says.
Mridul, however, also doesn’t deny the problems and prejudices that exist in the film industry — something she has also faced. “I’m not saying that it didn’t happen to me or I didn’t have the guts to say it. I agree, in this industry, a whole narrative was created around a few actors because we pissed off somebody important; there’s no denying that. But to sit and continuously abuse is also not right. It’s not the energy that we need to create,” she explains.
For things to change for the better, the actor feels everyone has to stop pulling down each other. “I know good work will come. If it doesn’t, then you speak about it. Yes, we all feel angry and we’ve all lost out on opportunities, so it’s about changing the system and not bringing down someone. There are different ways to do that,” she shares.
And despite the negativity around, the 45-year-old refuses to give up, and says, “I’ve always said what I had to say but the point is we need to give the system a chance, as I think it’s changing. Yet, don’t take sh*t but try and do good work.”
The actor, who was last seen in web series Mentalhood, feels that things have, in fact, turned better for the new talent in the industry in the last two decades. “Today, actors are very fortunate. This is a battle that we’ve fought in the last decade; it was far more [worse] then than it is now. Things are open now because of social media, as everybody has a voice. Earlier, some of us weren’t big enough to have voices. If one doesn’t promote you, you can promote yourself. I’m not saying you should not be angry, but use it properly. Fight the fight, but fairly,” she concludes.