Abhishek Banerjee is an Indian actor and a casting director. He has acted in several Bollywood films and is best known for his supporting yet effective roles in the Maddock Supernatural Universe films. Abhishek’s filmography includes the Stree franchise, Bhediya, Dream Girl, Dream Girl 2, Rashmi Rocket, and Vedaa. Meanwhile, he gained recognition with his series, Paatal Lok, where he played the lead role of antagonist, ‘Hathoda Tyagi’. Not many know that he has been a casting director for many famous films such as Secret Superstar, Ok Jaanu, Kalank, and the list goes on.
From being known as ‘Hathoda Tyagi’ in the web series, Paatal Lok, produced by Anushka Sharma, to gaining appreciation for his roles in two blockbuster films of 2024, Stree 2 and Vedaa, Abhishek Banerjee has come a long way. In a recent interview, he discussed the importance of being popular among the audience and being appreciated by the critics. The actor didn’t hesitate to choose the audience’s love over the critics’ appreciation.
In an interview with DNA, Abhishek Banerjee emphasised that if you are popular among the audience and they love your character, then only the producers would give you a role, no matter how many critics appreciate you. Amidst his Stree 2 success, the actor described that critical reviews may vary from character to character and are an “individual opinion”, but if the audience gets impressed by your acting, they will always love you.
Recalling his success before the two blockbuster films this year, Abhishek shared that there have been many incidents when the critics positively reviewed his characters. However, the public didn’t notice his works back then and didn’t connect with his roles, due to which the producers gave him fewer roles. In his words:
“Critical appreciation se pet nahi bharta (critical appreciation does not satisfy). No matter how much critics praise you, producers will only give you work when the audience appreciates you.”
During an earlier interview, the actor-casting director recalled an incident in which he asked a director why he wasn't cast for a particular role. He was told that the makers of the project only preferred casting people who had millions of followers on social media platforms. Abhishek highlighted that the film industry already has many barriers, and this new trend has become another substantial obstacle in the path of outsiders.
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During the same conversation, Abhishek said that there are influencers who might have more followers than Shah Rukh Khan, but there isn't a star bigger than him. As every actor has different skill sets and every influencer creates different types of content, it might be wrong to combine both. He also highlighted that a popular face might attract the viewers to the first episode, but no one will waste hours in a show solely because someone has more followers.
What are your thoughts on Abhishek Banerjee’s statements? Let us know.
Also Read: 'Stree 2' Cast Fees: Rajkummar Rao Is The Highest Paid, Gets Rs.1 Crore More Than Shraddha Kapoor
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