Bollywood stars Suniel Shetty and Sanjay Dutt, on The Great Indian Kapil Show, spoke about the decline of successful multi-starrer films and attributed it to the fear and insecurity among newcomers.
The senior actors also shared their own struggles with negative comments and recalled how they dealt with being called “bakwaas” and more.
Sanjay Dutt Feels Bollywood Newcomers Are Insecure
When asked why multi-starrer films don’t work like they used to, Sanju replied, “I think iske piche insecurity hai. (I think there’s insecurity behind this).”
He recalled that back in their time, he had worked with Dilip Sahab, Sanjeev Kumar, and Shammi Uncle, and there was no insecurity, just an opportunity to learn. He added, “Mere lines agar Anna (Suniel) bhi bole ya mein iske line bolu toh koi insecurity nahi tha. Picture acchi banani chahiye bass (If Anna (Suniel) spoke my lines or I spoke his lines, there was no insecurity. The only thing that mattered was making the film good).”
Suniel Shetty Recalls Dealing With Negative Comments
Meanwhile, the Hera Pheri actor recalled being called ‘wooden’ and a ‘bad actor.’ “Uske baad mujhe wooden kaha gaya. Ke bakwas actor hai usko wapis Udupi mein jana chahiye, restaurant mein kam karna chahiye. (After that, I was called ‘wooden,’ ‘a bad actor,’ and was told I should go back to Udupi and work in a restaurant)”
He admitted it affected him since he had never formally learned acting. He also recalled doubting his place in the industry before drawing inspiration from Sanju, Govinda, and Jackie Shroff, who were admired not just for their craft but also for their personalities.
Talking about dealing with criticism in stride, Suniel said, “Toh who mindset aaj kal ke baccho mein hai nahi, kyuki yeh virtual world ne sabko dara diya hai (That mindset doesn’t exist in kids these days because the virtual world has scared everyone).”
Meanwhile, Sanjay advised newcomers to stay humble and continue honing their skills, even after scoring hits. He said that when one film becomes successful, today’s actors tend to go overboard. Instead, they should focus on what it takes to sustain a career in the industry for the next 40 years.