Actors unanimous: Insecurity is part of the job
All that glitters is not gold. The saying aligns with being a star in Bollywood. It is not easy being an actor — that too in a movie-crazed nation as India. Despite all the adulation and the glitz that comes with the tag of being a celebrity, there are the pros and cons. Many stars would tell you the biggest of these is insecurity.
Richa Chadha says acting is an insecure profession because one’s success depends on several factors beyond one’s control.
“It’s competitive, and there are plenty of talented, hardworking and deserving people out there. You have to prove your mettle each time. It is unlike another job when seniority ensures a promotion. In fact, here it is often the opposite,” Richa told IANS, adding that success in the film industry depends so much on the approval of others that “it is bound to be an insecure place”.
Yami Gautam, who tasted success with films like “Vicky Donor”, “Kaabil” and “Uri: The Surgical Strike”, has a more generalised take. She feels insecurity and fears are a common human emotion, and it has nothing to do with actors or people of show business necessarily.
“Insecurity and fears are common human emotions. It isn’t constrained to only actors or people of show business. But I feel insecurity is always bettered as you grow into the business. You become more secure with experience. My priority is only to do truest justice to the parts I’m offered and to have hard-work appreciated. Which actually turns into motivation,” Yami told IANS.
Some, like Tiger Shroff and Sameera Reddy don’t believe in hiding insecurity.
Tiger is not shy to call himself “insecure”, and he adds that he is driven by insecurities to constantly seek approval and appreciation. Sameera Reddy, who had openly spoken about her first pregnancy leaving her torn between reality and the pressure to portray an “unreal life” as a celebrity, does not find it difficult to not be insecure.
“Actors are insecure usually because its an emotional creative field and there is no distinction between who you are as product or a brand and who you are as a person. It is a very difficult to not be insecure about your work and how people perceive you,” she told IANS.
The actress, who was fondly called “Sexy Sam”, said every actor needs to deal with insecurity. “It’s a part of being an actor,” she added.
However, actor Pankaj Tripathi, who is currently cruising along with back-to-back acclaimed performances, begs to differ.
“It’s not that insecurity comes with the acting profession alone. It is prevalent across all professions. However, I am not insecure because when you are insecure you start thinking too much about the future. I prefer to live in the present,” Pankaj told IANS.
Actor Vidyut Jammwal explains why it is said that success for an actor does not come easy.
“In the acting profession all the work we do is open to instantaneous public opinion, and professionals in this business are constantly under the media spotlight. Actors are the face of the hard work and passion that many people put in while making a film, so they carry the expectations of many,” Vidyut told IANS.
The action hero says his training in Kalaripayattu has taught him to channel his focus on honing his craft constantly and raising the bar.
“I have experienced at a very early age that we cannot control results, but we need to remain focused on the task and compete it with a 100 per cent commitment towards excellence whilst enjoying it. This helps in alleviating any insecurity because hard work, skill and talent rarely goes unnoticed or unappreciated,” he added.
The subject is best underlined by what Kangana Ranaut previously told IANS: “I don’t know about other professions but this profession comes with a lot of insecurities. You do one project (and) then you are not sure when the next project will come you way. Sometimes, you don’t know the future of a great film. It’s shocking the kind of film that might just work.”