Just a few days ago, veteran actress Kalpana Iyer took to her social media to talk about the fact that casting directors and filmmakers should show her basic decency and respect. She wrote, “I may not be the person they want to support, but I’m Human and I’m not asking for any Sympathy or Special Treatment. I want work fair and square, and if you contact me, I am grateful, but if it is not happening, tell me, inform me, ask me, and I will try to understand, and maybe I will try to make changes and offer alternatives. You never know…It will work for you and me. Please Don’t Presume or Assume; Just Ask Me, and I’ll be Happy and Thankful,” she wrote.
Whether or not her appeal shall be followed by those getting in touch with her or not remains to be seen, but increasingly over the years one has seen veteran actors use social media to reach out for work.
Neena Gupta |
Neena Gupta
While Iyer’s viral video dancing to her iconic song Rambha Ho got her back into the spotlight, the one actor who benefitted the most from laying bare her soul on social media was Neena Gupta. Back in 2017, the actress had posted on her Instagram asking for work. She had shared a lovely photo of herself, captioned as, "I live in Mumbai and working as a good actor looking for good parts to play."
Not only did Gupta’s post go viral, but it landed her memorable role in Badhaai Ho (2018), followed by several other projects such as Veere Di Wedding (2018), Mulk (2018), Panchayat (2020) and others.
Nafisa Ali Sodhi
“I am Nafisa Ali Sodhi and I would like an elegant role to portray in Indian cinema. So looking for a perfect script as a senior actor, I need to work to express my emotions. I will not be dictated to. May God give each of us the strength to follow our dreams,” Sodhi had written in a post on Instagram in 2019. This came after she had recovered from stage 3 ovarian cancer.
While Sodhi was seen most recently in the film, Max, Min & Meowzaki, she has also used her social media to actively talk about and share her experience with fighting stage 4 cancer, including most recently completing a 11,000 feet trek.
Meenakshi Seshadri
One of the leading Bollywood actors in the 1980s and 1990s, known for her unforgettable roles in Damini (1993) and Ghatak (1996), Seshadri had moved to the United States after her marriage in 1997. In May this year, she put out a video on Instagram, talking about returning to her karmabhoomi.
The 62-year-old’s video said, “After 30 long years, I have relocated to my karmabhoomi, Mumbai, India and have stepped once again into the entertainment industry with hope, passion and positivity. I’m really looking forward to meaningful opportunities, whether it’s a lead role, supporting character or even a short show. And it doesn’t matter as long as it’s an impactful performance. It could be films or OTT shows. I want to explore roles that challenge me as an artist and help me discover new dimensions of my craft. Many offers did come my way, but some weren’t exciting enough and some simply didn’t materialise. But I’m managing this journey on my own, without any agency. And your support means everything to me during this phase. And though I am primarily based in India, I do spend some vacation time with my family in the USA.”
Seshadri was a powerhouse performer back during her heyday, and with the rise of OTT, it could mean that her post would be met with a bunch of interesting offers, marking her return to tinsel town. What is reassuring, is that some of the most accomplished actors are putting their fears aside and openly asking for work opportunities on social media. How many opportunities they get of course depends on individual to individual, but this surely is a trend that is catching on and works at times, too, by putting oneself out there.
