A new controversy has grabbed headlines in the TV industry after actor Rohit Roy, in an interview, described television as a “dustbin medium”. He also said that film stars have a certain level of style and class that TV actors lack.
Here’s what Rohit Roy had said
Rohit made the remarks while speaking about the difference between television and films in an interview on the Kindle Cast YouTube channel. Asked whether the television industry had become more professional but less devoted to the craft, he said, “This question has been asked of me several times, and I sometimes feel that I shouldn’t come across as ungrateful. But, television is a dustbin medium. You watch it today, it’s like yesterday’s newspaper. Tomorrow, you forget about it. So, in India, unfortunately, with the amount of content being created and the same kind of content being created, there’s hardly any creativity.”
The 58-year-old also said, “Quite honestly, television actors don’t have the carriage that film actors have,” and added, “You have to conduct yourself with a certain amount of grace, dignity. You can’t do hoo-haa and make stupid comments because you know the paps are there,” while referring to an unnamed TV star.
When the host told him that he seemed to have “internalised this hierarchy”, Rohit replied that cinema is “for posterity” and again called television a “dustbin medium”. He also compared the difference between the two to playing cricket for India and playing in the Ranji Trophy.
Actor Naman Shaw called out Rohit Roy after the latter described television as a “dustbin medium”, saying too much Botox had “travelled straight into his brain and frozen it”. Naman said, “I genuinely feel that too much Botox has perhaps gone beyond the first layer of his forehead, travelled straight into his brain and frozen it.”
Talking about his own journey, Naman said, “I have been a part of the television industry for the last 20 years, and I say this with immense pride: television has run my house.”
He added, “It has given me work, recognition, opportunities and a career. So when someone dismisses the entire medium as a ‘dustbin’, I take that personally.”
“I completely agree that there are certain people in the industry whose behaviour may not always be appropriate. Some individuals deliberately create controversy, behave in a certain manner or use paparazzi attention to remain in the news.”
He said such people should be criticised as individuals, rather than being used to condemn the entire medium. “But those are individuals. If you have an issue with certain people, call them out. Take their names. Criticise their behaviour. But don’t blame an entire industry for the choices of a few individuals,” he said.
Giving the example of Rakhi Sawant, Naman said, “Take Rakhi Sawant, for example. Rakhi has always been an entertainer. She has created her own identity and understands exactly what works for her. She doesn’t claim to be something she isn’t.”
He added, “She has her own way of entertaining people, and whether you agree with it or not, she has survived in this industry for almost 20 years.”
Naman further said, “She knows the kind of attention she generates. And, ultimately, she knows that she has to work and earn a living. If she didn’t behave the way she does, perhaps people wouldn’t entertain her in the same way. That’s her choice and her strategy. You may not like it, but that still doesn’t make television a ‘dustbin medium’.”
Naman said every industry has its own strengths and weaknesses, and that doesn’t make the entire industry bad.
“Every industry has its own share of good people, controversial people, talented people and people who make questionable choices. That doesn’t make the entire industry bad. So before somebody dismisses television as a lesser or inferior medium, they should perhaps remember how many lives this industry supports and how many careers it has created,” he said.
He said he was proud to have spent 20 years in television and added, “It has given me a career and helped me build my life. You don’t have to love television, but you should at least respect the medium that has given so many people a livelihood. Criticise individuals if you must. But don’t insult an entire industry because of them.”
Work front
Rohit has worked across television, films and streaming. He was last seen in the 2025 crime thriller Controll, the 2024 JioHotstar series Karmma Calling and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 13.