Until a show becomes a cult classic, the popularity doesn't even pass on to another show: Sachin Parikh on actor's popularity on TV

 
Pushpa Impossible actor Sachin Parikh, has been part of shows like Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. The actor has been in the industry for almost 15 years now. He feels that unless a show becomes popular among the audience, the actor doesn’t become popular.
 
“Television is a format in which I have been working for the last 15 years. Until a show becomes a cult classic, the popularity doesn't even pass on to another show but remains only until that show is on air,” he said. “There are examples of various such shows from which characters are still remembered, but the show needs to reach that height and popularity, becoming like a novel and not just a newspaper. Earlier, there were many such shows that came only for a few episodes but are still remembered after decades,” he added.
 
He believes that, as an actor, it's not just your performance and popularity that count. He added, “It's also about various other factors, like the channel, the production, the content, the longevity of the show, and overall the acceptance of the show by the audience, that make success count. When all these factors come together, the show reaches a different level of milestones. So, as an actor, my duty is to choose the right parameters and roles that continue to bring love from my fans and audience.”
 
Sachin also agrees that TV follows a fixed pattern where an actor plays the lead in the first show, the second lead in the second, and the character actor in the third. He called it a sad part of the fixed pattern, and said, “An actor who always strives to make their mark and show their talent might lead in other mediums as well, but in TV, typecasting is done immediately.”
 
“One needs to break the monotony of work and ensure that the fixed pattern does not apply. But in TV, as rightly called the ‘Idiot Box’, it unfortunately fails to understand the versatility of an actor. That's one of the reasons more versatile and fine actors leave the TV industry and don't want to come back until they get their due roles and space,” he added. As for screen time on TV, which tends to decrease as one grows in the industry, he said, “This also depends on whether the industry is progressing or in a downward trend. If the industry becomes progressive with its approach, it will give actors their due, so the more senior you become, the more you will grow, as it happens in other professions.”
 
“But it will not be the case in TV if the industry goes regressive; then everything will fall apart eventually. Someone has to take a stand and ensure that an actor's body of work is considered with utmost priority when it comes to screen time,” he added.
 
For Sachin, Aanjan Srivastav’s character from Wagle Ki Duniya has made an everlasting impression on his mind since his childhood days. “In that finite series, the character of a common man was depicted so beautifully that it made a hard-hitting impression and was performed so amazingly by Aanjan Ji. The ongoing show of Wagle Ki Duniya also has that flavor of the cult show, which has given it the love and popularity to complete 1000 episodes recently and still go strong,” he said.
 
But there are no characters played by other actors that he would like to play because he feels every character is meant for that particular actor. “It's created specifically for them right from the time it is penned. But if I were given a choice, I would play Pushpa from my own show, Pushpa Impossible. It's such a great role that I would even consider a sex change for it,” he ended.