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“Out of sight, out of mind” is how this industry functions, says actress Indraxi Kanjilal, who plays Prathana in Pushpa Impossible. She adds that your worth here is determined by your visibility, not by the depth of your craft.“I feel like the industry I’m working in really measures success based on visibility rather than the depth of an actor. Everyone judges you by how often you’re seen and how famous you are. If you’re famous, it doesn’t matter whether you’re doing a good job or not. And if you’re a genuinely good actor, that often doesn’t count for much. What matters more is that you’re visible, that people know your name, and that you’re seen as a celebrity,” she says.She adds that roles are also given on the same basis. “In fact, if you’re very famous, you don’t even have to worry about getting projects—they come running to you. That’s the reality these days. People say, ‘Oh, she’s known, let’s give her the project,’ without even considering acting skills. It’s become like that. Of course, everybody wants to be famous. Everybody wants to be rich. Everybody wants to make their parents proud—and I want all of that too.

I want to be visible, I want to be successful, I want to make my parents proud. These are definitely important to me. But I also want to be a good actor,” she says.Talking about what success means to her, she adds, “Being a good actor isn’t easy these days, because honestly, nobody seems to care much about that anymore. Now, it’s all about how many followers you have on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms. It’s all about popularity, not real talent.

The real talent, if I may say, is often shoved out the window. Even if there’s an actor who can act and is really trying hard to get a break, they often get overlooked.

Because in this industry, being talented doesn’t always mean you’ll get the opportunity—being popular does. That’s the truth. And that’s the industry I’m in. I accept all of these things as part of the journey. I just hope that along with becoming successful, I’m also able to build real depth as an actor.”