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Actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee, currently riding high on the success of his latest film Stree 2, recently opened up about the rising trend of casting influencers in projects solely to leverage their follower base. Abhishek, who runs the casting company Casting Bay, revealed that he has also been overlooked for roles due to his relatively modest Instagram following.
In a candid conversation with Sucharita Tyagi on her YouTube channel, Abhishek discussed the pitfalls of prioritizing social media clout over talent. He remarked, “This is a reality I face as both a casting director and an actor. We need to break this habit. The issue isn’t that influencers are becoming actors; the issue arises when you are deciding to cast someone based on their followers. For instance, if you’ve narrowed down three people for a role but choose the third-best candidate because they have more followers, that’s a serious problem. A thumbnail bait might attract viewers to the first episode, but no one will invest nine hours into a web show solely because someone has followers. Many people have more followers than Shah Rukh Khan, but there isn’t a bigger star than him—so comparisons based on followers are rubbish.”
Abhishek further highlighted the stark differences between acting on the big screen and creating content for social media, noting that the two mediums require entirely different skill sets. Despite being a seasoned casting director himself, Abhishek has encountered this bias firsthand, missing out on roles due to his follower count. He explained, “The demand for actors with significant followings has surged post-pandemic. Recently, I asked a director why I wasn’t being considered for a particular role, and he told me the makers were only interested in casting people with millions of followers. He genuinely wanted to cast me, but that’s what he was instructed to do. The film industry already poses enough barriers for outsiders, and now the requirement for a substantial Instagram following has become yet another obstacle.”
Beyond Stree 2, Abhishek is also featured in Vedaa, a film that released in theatres on the same day. The actor, who shot to fame with his portrayal of Hathoda Tyagi in Paatal Lok, will next appear in Section 84 alongside Amitabh Bachchan and in Vipul Shah’s Hisab, where he will reunite with his Pataal Lok co-star Jaideep Ahlawat.
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