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‘I was called alcoholic, abuser. No one checked facts’
Ranvir Shorey, who recently hit out at “independent film crusaders” who’ve turned into “mainstream Bollywood flunkies,” says his state of mind today is “melancholic”. In one of his recent tweets, the actor mentioned the ordeals he went through and wrote, “I went through the same professional & social isolation, bad mouthing & lies in the press, and psychological trauma from 2003 to 2005 with the same people who are now involved.”
Talking about the toxic environment that he faced and why he related with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, he reveals, “I didn’t want to be vocal about my experiences but when I see people trying to shut down Kangana (Ranaut) and others who are speaking up, I feel that’s unfair. So, I spoke about what I faced. I was called an alcoholic and abuser and no one cross checked the facts. One couldn’t do anything as one was helpless as a nobody. I suffered for years due to those lies with no respite and no way to get justice.” He adds, “Today, the worst has happened (with Sushant) due to this toxic environment. If we won’t speak up now, then when? Powerful people abuse power and there is no respite for the smaller fish. Talking will put some fear in the people who have power and no accountability.
What helped me is that I didn’t let the negative emotion consume me, and instead I focused on honing my skills with acting classes.”
Ask him what he thinks happened with Sushant and Shorey says, “You can’t blame someone for someone’s death
Insiders, outsiders, nepotism, favouritism — these four words and their existence in Bollywood, have come back into the spotlight in the last one month since actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise. The unfortunate incident stirred many debates, one of them being how outsiders are treated in the industry. So how has the journey been for some outsiders, the quintessential foreign imports in Bollywood?
Actor Mandana Karimi, who was born and raised in Iran, says it’s tough entering a field when you’ve no idea about the language or country. “For someone like me, I’ve to learn the language, make friends, understand how things work,” says the 32-yearold, who has starred in films such as Bhaag Johnny (2015) and Kya Kool Hain Hum 3 (2016). Karimi adds there are specific roles one gets boxed in as a foreigner, either due to their fair skin, or accent. “The moment you try to be someone you’re not, it becomes difficult. You have to accept being a foreigner and add your flavour to a role,” she adds.
Ex-bigg Boss contestant Claudia Ciesla is another foreigner who has created her space in Bollywood. A Polishgerman, she accepted early on that there’ll be only specific kinds of roles she’ll get. “I can’t play an Indian, same way Priyanka Chopra Jonas won’t be able to play a foreigner in Hollywood. It’s because of the way we look. That’s a normal thing. Katrina Kaif made it so far because she’s half Indian,” she says, adding “If it’s not fine with someone, they can always go back to their country”. directly. Obviously, Sushant took this unfortunate step himself but we can talk about the environment that was created for him and for many others. It stinks of abuse of power and we must talk about that. A lot of time and energy is being wasted on who is saying what, instead we should focus on the relevant points being raised against a system.”
Debates about nepotism, favouritism, insider-outsider have been going on time and again in the industry which Shorey feels won’t help. “Twitter hashtags won’t change things. The problem stems from a bunch of people having control over the distribution and exhibition system as well as media space. What will bring about some change is streaming platforms. It will bring democratisation of content consumption,” he says.
For Swedish-greek actor Elli Avrram, who also shot to fame after Bigg Boss and did films such as Mickey Virus (2013) and Malang, admits it’s “extremely tough” as there’s a perception about foreigners. “It’s not only in terms of roles, but also difficult being a foreigner in the city,” she says.
The 29-year-old says she continues to deal with people thinking, ‘Does she know Hindi, will she be able to act in Indian cinema, understand the emotions?’ Avrram shares, “It’s a preset notion ‘Woh nahi kar paayegi’. People get shocked when they hear me talk in Hindi.”
Evelyn Sharma concurs that a different nationality is an obstacle. “People thought I’d be comfortable doing skin show or intimate scenes as I’m a foreigner. I was stereotyped, which is why I’ve not taken up sexy roles in thrillers and horror films. That’s not me,” says the German model-actor, who prefers comedies which would “tap my half-indianand-half-foreigner identity”.
Karimi agrees, saying, “It’s a problem when people bracket you into ‘hot, sexy, who doesn’t know much Hindi’ type. But twothree years ago, I decided I don’t want to do that stuff.”