Pankit Thakker condemns Rohit Roy’s ‘dustbin medium’ remark: Never spit into the plate that gave you your first meal
Mumbai, Sep 12 (IANS) Pankit Thakkar has slammed actor Rohit Roy for calling television a ‘dustbin medium’ and stating that the small screen actors lack style and class compared to film stars.
Pankit, who has workd with Rohit in the past, told IANS: “We shot a pilot for a TV show back in 2000. Anupam Kher was the producer, it was for the M.A.C. Channel. Raju Kher was the director.”
Pankit, who has showcased his prowess in shows like Dill Mill Gayye, Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant and Saru, called Rohit’s comment sad and ungrateful, Pankit said, “I felt sad reading what Rohit said.”
“There is an unwritten rule in our industry never spit into the plate that gave you your first meal.”
“Class is not about expensive suits or speaking good English in an interview. Class is gratitude. Television gave us our first identity. It put us in every home in this country. How can we forget that?” he added.
Questioning Rohit’s remarks on his own show Swabhimaan, Pankit said, “He spoke about Swabhimaan being a hit. But does he remember who stood with him there? Manoj Bajpayee and Ashutosh Rana. Even they started from TV.”
“Manoj Sir is a four-time National Award winner today and Ashutosh Sir is one of our most celebrated powerhouse actors. Have you ever heard them call TV a dustbin? Never.”
He further cited the example of the late Irrfan Khan. “And look at the late Irrfan Khan Sir. He did Banegi Apni Baat, Chanakya, Chandrakanta. He later did Life of Pi and Jurassic World, but he never called any medium small,” he said.
Pankit also pointed out how the biggest stars in the country respect the small screen.
“Look at our biggest legends. Shah Rukh Khan started with Fauji and Circus. Amitabh Bachchan Sir got his second innings because of Kaun Banega Crorepati. Salman Khan has been on TV for over ten years. Pankaj Tripathi and Jaideep Ahlawat never show arrogance.”
“If they can respect TV, who are we? Our TV actors and crew work 16 hours a day. That is real class. That is real hard work,” he said.
Taking the example of Rohit’s own elder brother, Pankit said, “If Rohit wants to see what dignity looks like, he should see his own elder brother Ronit. Ronit became a superstar with Kasautii and Kyunki and then did Udaan and 2 States. But he never insulted TV.”
“That is why the industry respects him so much. Real class uplifts people, it does not pull them down.”
He also urged introspection, saying, “And this includes me as well. In the last ten years, what work have we done as leading film heroes to judge that TV actors have no class? I am not taunting anyone, I am only asking us to reflect, myself included.”
Calling out the double standards, Pankit added, “It is ironic to hear someone talk about big cinema and call long-form TV shows a dustbin, but then go ahead and act in 1-minute vertical videos made for phone apps.”
“No medium is small. Big screen, TV screen, or 1-minute vertical video on a phone acting is acting. But gratitude makes an actor big. And when you disrespect the very TV industry that made you famous in the first place, you do not look superior, you just look ungrateful,” he said.
Pankit concluded by saying: “To call television a dustbin is a direct insult to the millions of hard-working Indian families who invite us into their living rooms every single night. The audience isn’t foolish.”
“They are incredibly smart, they know exactly what they want to watch, and they give us their love and time. We exist because of them. Disrespecting the medium means disrespecting the millions of viewers who made us who we are.”
–IANS
dc/
