There has often been a debate about superiority between the small and big screens of the Indian entertainment world, but recently an outspoken and controversial statement by actor Rohit Roy has once again ignited this debate. Rohit Roy, who started his career in the television industry and made a name for himself in Bollywood films and digital space, during a podcast conversation openly termed television as 'trash medium' and 'dustbin'. The actor also claimed that the special kind of class, aura and natural style that Bollywood film stars possess is not seen at all in television actors. As soon as this controversial comment of Rohit Roy came to light, there was a strong resentment among the actors, directors and audience of the TV industry, after which Mukesh Chhabra, the busiest and veteran casting director of Bollywood, openly took charge in the honor of TV artists.
During a podcast interview on the Kindle Cast YouTube channel, when Rohit Roy was asked a question on the current state of the Indian television industry and its impact, he gave a shockingly sharp response. Rohit said that he has been asked this question many times and sometimes he feels hesitant that people might misunderstand him, but the bitter truth is that television today has become a medium like a dustbin. Explaining his point further, he said that the shows shown on TV are watched today and the next day they turn into trash like stale newspapers, which are immediately forgotten by the audience. According to Rohit, unfortunately in India, the kind of stale and same content is being recycled and served again and again, there is a huge lack of creativity and originality in it, due to which TV stars are not able to match the stardom and class of the big screen.
Amidst the criticism that started on social media and entertainment circles on this statement of Rohit Roy, well-known casting director Mukesh Chhabra shared an emotional and factual post in support of TV actors. Expressing his opinion on the microblogging platform 'X', Chhabra wrote that a large part of the best actors being cast in Indian cinema and web series today have come from the land of television. He stressed that TV actors are indeed exceptionally talented as their ability to memorize dialogues is amazing, they sweat continuously on the set for 14-16 hours every day without any tantrum and know how to adapt to any difficult situation instantly.
Mukesh Chhabra gave a clear message in his post without naming anyone, saying that he respects actors of all mediums, but seeing the strict discipline, tireless work and unwavering commitment towards work of television artists, he always has a special respect and a little more love for them in his heart. He made it clear that the craft of actors who handle the immense pressure of non-stop daily soaps for years and make a place in the hearts of the audience cannot be termed as 'trash' in any sense. Industry insiders believe that Chhabra's statement directly mirrors those people who, after gaining fame through television, make the mistake of underestimating the same platform.