Veteran actor Akhilendra Mishra has shed light on the financial plight of Bollywood’s character actors, revealing a disturbing trend of exploitation. Producers, Mishra claims, prioritise cutting costs, disregarding an actor’s experience and value. Instead, they adopt a cold, transactional approach, negotiating rates over phone calls and treating talented actors as mere commodities.

Mishra, a seasoned actor with memorable roles in films like Lagaan (2001), The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002), and Ready (2011), brings credibility to his concerns, highlighting the need for fair compensation in the industry.

“Har producer paisa kam dena chahta hai (Every producer wants to pay less). Koi lihaaz nahi karta (No one shows any consideration). Now corporate culture has come, so the people discussing remuneration are new people who aren’t even aware of your body of work. Unhe maloom hi nahi hai kaun kya hai (They don’t even know who’s who). Wo bas phone uthake call kar dete hain aur bargain karte hain (They simply call you on the phone and bargain),” Akhilendra told Hindustan Times.

 

 

A post shared by Akhilendra Mishra (@akhilendram)

The 62-year-old actor highlighted the stark contrast between the financial stability of stars and character actors. “Is industry mein paisa sirf stars ke paas hai aur kisi ke paas nahi (In this industry, only stars get money, no one else does). Producer sirf usi ko paisa de rahe hain (Producers only pay the stars). Aaj bhi character artiste agar hospitalised ho jaye, to dawai ka bhi paisa nahi hai, ikattha karna padta hai (Even today, if a character artist is hospitalized, they don’t have money for medicine, they have to collect it).”

He also noted that many industry professionals struggle to make ends meet and often pass away in obscurity. “Wo gumnami aur gareebi mein marr jate hain aur pata bhi nahi chalta (They die in obscurity and poverty, and no one even finds out).”

 

 

A post shared by Akhilendra Mishra (@akhilendram)

Akhilendra’s recent comments on the stark pay disparity between stars and character actors echo concerns raised by fellow actor Rajit Kapur. Kapur had highlighted the industry’s lack of a formal system as the root cause of this inequality. He had shared that many a times, he has been approached for projects and was asked to work free of cost.

In an interview on the Unfiltered by Samdish channel on YouTube, Kapur had shared, “There’s no established system. Casting agencies only emerged five years ago. Previously, directors and assistants would summon actors, who’d wait for days. It was a ‘take it or leave it’ approach, with no one advocating for actors’ fair pay.”

Kapur emphasised that exploitation persists, citing instances where actors are pressured to accept lower fees. “Even today, you’re expected to work for less. If you’re worth Rs 20,000, they’ll offer Rs 10,000, implying others are waiting for the opportunity. This exploitation continues to this day.”

Akhilendra’s remarks shed further light on the industry’s pay parity issues, underscoring the need for systemic change. However, he acknowledged that stars are the selling point of films, and emphasised the crucial role character actors play. “Ab character artiste ke naam pe to film bikne wali hai nahi (A film won’t sell just because of a character artist’s name). Par film ki aatma character artiste hota hai (But the soul of a film is its character artist). If a film doesn’t have good character artistes, that film doesn’t have a soul because it doesn’t have performances.”

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