Abhishek Banerjee is basking in the success of his latest release, Stree 2, in which he plays the comic character 'Jana'. The Amar Kaushik film has collected Rs 589 crore at worldwide gross box office tildate. Meanwhile, Abhishek was also a part of John Abraham and Sharvari's latest film, Vedaa, which faced tough competition from Stree 2 at the box office. After the release of both films, Abhishek, who is also a casting director, has appeared in several interviews.
During one of his recent interviews, Abhishek discussed the growing trend of casting influencers in films. The actor, who runs Casting Bay, a casting company, revealed that he did not get many roles due to his relatively modest number of followers on Instagram. While conversing with Suchitra Tyagi, Abhishek opened up about the downside of prioritising social media followers over talent and was quoted as saying:
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"This is a reality I face as both a casting director and an actor. We need to break this habit. The issue isn’t that influencers are becoming actors; the issue arises when you are deciding to cast someone based on their followers."
Further, Abhishek tried to corroborate his statement by saying that there are influencers who might have more followers than Shah Rukh Khan, but there isn't a star bigger than him. He also highlighted that thumbnail bait might attract the viewers to the first episode, but no one will invest hours in a show solely because someone has more followers. Abhishek was quoted as saying:
"For instance, if you’ve narrowed down three people for a role but choose the third-best candidate because they have more followers, that’s a serious problem. A thumbnail bait might attract viewers to the first episode, but no one will invest nine hours into a web show solely because someone has followers. Many people have more followers than Shah Rukh Khan, but there isn’t a bigger star than him—so comparisons based on followers are rubbish."
In the same conversation, Abhishek discussed the stark difference between acting in films and creating content for social media, highlighting that different mediums need different skill sets. Moreover, he also revealed that he missed out on roles because of his follower count and shared that the demand for influencers has surged post-pandemic.
Meanwhile, Abhishek also recalled an incident where he asked a director why he wasn't cast for a particular role. He was told that the makers of the project were only interested in casting people with millions of followers. Abhishek highlighted that the film industry already has many barriers, and this new trend has become another substantial blockade on the path of outsiders. He was quoted as saying:
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"Recently, I asked a director why I wasn’t being considered for a particular role, and he told me the makers were only interested in casting people with millions of followers. He genuinely wanted to cast me, but that’s what he was instructed to do. The film industry already poses enough barriers for outsiders, and now the requirement for a substantial Instagram following has become yet another obstacle."
Abhishek Banerjee has emerged as one of the most versatile actors in Indian showbiz. From playing a comedic character, 'Jana' in the Stree universe to portraying a notorious murderer, 'Hathoda Tyagi' in Paatal Lok, the 39-year-old has impressed the audience with his wide-range of performances on the screen. Abhishek will be next in Section 84 alongside Amitabh Bachchan and in Vipul Shah’s Hisab.
What do you think of Abhishek Banerjee's take on casting influencers in films?
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