Mumbai Diaries actor Akshar Kothari: Pandemic has made a lot of actors insecure

Last Friday was a “luxurious day” for actor Akshar Kothari. The Choti Malkin (2018) actor woke up, went to the gym, got a haircut, and then “slept for three hours”. The reason being, he got a day off from the shooting of his ongoing TV series.

“It’s a very important day for a TV actor,” Kothari says about day-offs. The actor mentions he works 12 hours a shift for his TV show. “I’ve been doing TV for 10 years now, my system is used to working every day like this. It is crazy but I don’t mind it. The format of TV is such. Earlier shows used to be bi-weekly or weekly, but it’s not the case currently. It’s like how the defence forces work every day, it’s the same for us,” he shares.

A 12-hour of shift can be taxing for anyone. However, Kothari feels it has become the new norm. He elaborates, “Obviously, it’s not the best way to work as we need to be more efficient. There can be discipline. After all, an actor’s mental and physical health is important. But again, I don’t have many complaints. Because I won’t be able to change the system in one night, and since I need to work, I will comply with it.”

Elaborating further on his perspective, the Mumbai Diaries actor adds, “There’s no point in rebelling. In the pandemic, we saw how most of the actors were home and didn’t have work. Actors are dispensable. The pandemic has made a lot of actors insecure. After sitting idle at home for a long time, they have understood that after all everyone wants to work.”