Devoleena: Talent gets you work
The existence of camps and groups in showbiz has been spoken about time and again. Devoleena Bhattacharjee feels it is capability and hard work that takes an individual ahead, and it’s wrong to believe that being part of certain groups gets one work.
“No doubt knowing people in the industry helps,” admits the actor, 35. “But what gets you work is your talent. Even these powerful people would work with you on the basis of your ability. There’ll be groups and camps everywhere. It’s there in the television industry, too. But you don’t have to be a part of them to function. I don’t think being friends with the powerful or being a part of certain groups gets you projects,” she says, adding that destiny, too, has a role to play.
“If it’s in my destiny, I’ll be on top of the game. But we create our own destiny with our efforts. Having a certain number of social media followers also doesn’t help much in the long run. If you don’t have it or if you aren’t ready to hone it, you don’t go anywhere. TV is one medium that offers equal opportunities to all,” she explains.
Content with her journey so far, Bhattacharjee, whose track in an ongoing TV show recently got over and is discussing her next, says rejections have made her stronger.
“It’s never easy and it shouldn’t be, else we won’t value what we get. TV gave me recognition and respect. At this point, I’ll not settle for a role that doesn’t match up to the kind of work I’ve done. Living up to my art and expectations of my fans are also my responsibilities,” she adds.
While she isn’t allowed to reveal much about the project she’s in talks for, Bhattacharjee asserts, “The one thing I want to avoid is getting stereotyped. As an artiste, I don’t want to restrict myself to doing only certain kinds of characters. I want to surprise myself, do characters I can never imagine pulling off. My work should make me get up every morning and look forward to go to the sets.”