Sharat Saxena says ‘actors like him’ aren’t invited to Bollywood parties: ‘Stars only talk to other stars’

Sharat Saxena opened up about the life of a character actor in Bollywood, and said that people like him don't rub shoulders with stars outside film sets.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | May 11, 2023 12:27 PM IST

3 min read

Sharat Saxena in a still from Sherni.

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Noted character actor Sharat Saxena said that people like him aren’t invited to Bollywood parties, because there is a line that separates them from the stars. He said in a new interview that stars only talk with other stars, and people like him — working actors — interact with them only on film sets.

In an video posted on the Rajshri Unplugged YouTube channel, the veteran actor, who is known to play villains in films across languages, said that general audiences aren’t aware of his side of the film industry. The actor has worked in over 300 films in his career, many of which, such as Phir Hera Pheri and Mr India, have been big hits.

Also read | It is a crime to be an old man in the film industry: Sherni actor Sharat Saxena

He said, “Nahi ji, mujhe party mein koi nahi invite karta. Parties hoti hain stars ke liye, aur stars ek alag strata pe rehte hain, woh alag level pe hote hain (No, nobody invites me to parties. Parties are for stars, and stars exist on a different strata). Stars only talk to stars, stars only have dinner and parties with other stars.”

He continued, “We are in a separate part of the film industry. Yeh film industry ka aisa bhag hai jiske baare mein duniya jaanti nahi. Hum log sirf filmon mein milte hain, shooting ke dauraan milte hain. Aur jaise hi shooting khatam hoti hai, hum chale jaate hain. Aisa hai (We exist in that part of the film industry that people don’t know about. We meet stars during shooting, and when our work is done, we leave. That’s it).”

In the past, the actor has spoken about how the film industry chews up actors once they hit a certain age. “Jahaan aap budhe lagne lage, you are thrown out of the film industry (The moment you start looking old, you are thrown out of the film industry),” he told Indian Express. “This is a young people’s industry. Everybody has to be young. You are old or not, doesn’t matter. You have to look young. It is a crime to be an old man here,” he said.

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