Meet the mediators
When there was doubt over whether or not Neil Nitin Mukesh would be part of the upcoming film Rum Pum Posshh, clarity came from an unexpected quarter: Prateik Babbar, who is also starring in the project. “He (Neil) was in the film, but he is no longer (part of it),” Prateik confirmed.
Similarly, when speculation around Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick touched a high last week — over whether or not the producer-director would have to shift his filming location after Salman Khan was denied a work permit for the UK (where Kick was scheduled to be shot) and the kind of financial losses he was facing as a consequence — co-actor Randeep Hooda stepped in to say that much of what was supposed, was false.
Sources in the industry pointed out that Randeep is close to both Salman and Sajid, which is perhaps why he was “chosen” to dispel doubts. But the fact remains that when it comes to film projects, trusted cast members are also doubling up as troubleshooters.
Filmmaker Jai Tank points out that those who belong to the same industry have to stand up for each other. “Actors need to stand up for each other, or else getting work becomes difficult. The film industry is a very small place. Working in other set-ups becomes possible when (you build relationships by) standing up for each other,” he says.
Author of Bollywood in Posters, S.M.M Ausaja believes this practice is merely a reflection that the industry “runs” on personal equations. “More than professionalism, the industry functions mostly on personal relationships,” he says, adding that this is an extension of what has been the norm for several years now.
“If actors do not defend their colleagues from an ‘attack’, then when they are in trouble, they too will not be helped. So co-actors become troubleshooters hoping to get into the good books of the more powerful groups,” he explains.
Industry observers say that using cast members as roubleshooters can be a win-win situation. “First, you have someone who is the ‘face’ of the film dispelling the rumours. Second, what you’re doing is giving out the ‘official line’,” says one analyst.
However, there are some who feel the practice can backfire on the “troubleshooters” themselves. Producer Rahul Aggarwal says that incidents such as these make people believe that closer equations exist between the “designated “troubleshooter and senior actors/director than is actually true. “Over time, they (the younger actors) may be made the targets instead,”
he says.
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