Despite being one of the most familiar faces on Indian television and in Bollywood, Archana Puran Singh says getting acting roles has never been easy.
In a recent interview, the veteran actor opened up about the long dry spell in her film career, revealing that she went nearly a decade without receiving a single movie offer after Bol Bachchan. Speaking to News18, Archana shared that while The Kapil Sharma Show made her a household name, it also created the impression that she was too busy to take up films. “I do get brand endorsement offers, but acting offers are still not coming my way. It’s not like I’ve been flooded with offers even after Toaster,” she said.
Archana revealed that she recently turned down a film because she wasn’t happy with the role. “I refused a film a few days ago, not because of anything else, but because I didn’t like the role. Great roles aren’t coming in yet. I want to act, and I hope filmmakers take note of that,” she added.
The actor recalled that after Bol Bachchan became a box-office success, many people predicted she would receive several offers. “Trade analysts told me I would be flooded with film offers. I even joked that I would call them when I got my first offer. Ten years passed, and I never had to make that call because I didn’t receive a single offer,” she said.
According to Archana, one of the reasons could be that filmmakers assumed she was unavailable because of her television commitments. “A lot of filmmakers thought I was busy doing comedy shows and wouldn’t be able to give them dates. Sometimes, I genuinely couldn’t because The Kapil Sharma Show had a packed schedule. I couldn’t leave for a 15-day shoot abroad even if I wanted to,” she explained.
Archana said she is finally excited to return to fictional content with her upcoming web series, Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya. Calling it a fresh opportunity, she said the project will allow audiences to see a different side of her as an actor. She also admitted that many people in the industry now identify her only with comedy shows. “Nobody is offering me roles. They aren’t convinced that I’m an actor anymore. They only think of me as someone who sits on a chair and laughs,” she had said earlier, adding that she hopes projects like Toaster and Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya will help change that perception.