Panchayat actor Pankaj Jha says actors who can’t say dialogues are ‘stars’ in Bollywood, blames ‘low IQ’ of Indian audience

Actor Pankaj Jha, who plays Vidhayak Ji in Panchayat, is no mood to mince any word. The actor has slammed big ticket Bollywood films and blamed the “low IQ” of the Indian audiences for the success of such films. In an interview, Pankaj Jha was asked why actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi took years to become popular, despite both of them being widely regarded for their talent even by the industry.

Pankaj Jha said popularity has got little to do with acting talent, as there are stars with immense fame, who can’t utter a single line on-screen convincingly. In an interview with Digital Commentary, he said, “It is a tough job to say who is an actor and who isn’t. Here, the one who isn’t an actor is the most popular. Someone asked me my thoughts on the larger-than-life movies that are mounted on huge budgets and mint crores of rupees. I said it only reflects the IQ of our country, its level.

“The IQ of our Indian audience is definitely low, just look at Hindi cinema and you’d know. The ones who can’t say one dialogue, who have never been able to say one dialogue, woh star bane hue hai bhai (they are the stars).”

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The actor said he fails to understand the “division” that is made in the industry where actors are slotted as “hit or flop”. He added, “The ones whose you names you took, there are more talented people than them in the industry but it is all about getting that opportunity.”

Pankaj Jha, currently seen in Prime Video series Panchayat season 3, has also featured in projects like Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal, Black Friday, Monsoon Wedding, Company, Haasil, Matrubhoomi, and Teen Patti among others.