Cinema VinesVeteran actor Sudhir Pandey, whose career spans more than five decades across television and film, has spoken out about what he calls rampant exploitation of character actors in India’s TV industry. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pandey revealed the harsh realities that daily‑soap performers face, from unpredictable shooting schedules to delayed payments.
According to Pandey, once an actor is committed to a serial, they are effectively locked out of other projects. “You can’t do anything else during that period,” he said. “They don’t give you fixed dates and can call you randomly on any day during the month.” He added that the environment is deteriorating under the influence of private channels and producers, who he believes treat lead actors and supporting actors very differently.
While popular leads often wield enough clout to have their demands met—or even to “blackmail” channels—supporting actors, according to Pandey, are routinely ignored when they ask for a pay rise. Instead, they are replaced or written out of the show. He highlighted the absurdity of contracts that are signed on a per‑day basis yet paid only after 90 days, describing it as a form of exploitation that should end.
“A person works 14–18‑hour shifts, doesn’t even get time to sleep, and has to report again,” Pandey said. He pointed out that labor laws exist but are rarely applied to the entertainment sector. He called for a “better industry” where people are more enlightened and genuinely sensitive to the plight of supporting actors.
Despite his long tenure and notable roles in shows such as Sasural Genda Phool and Balika Vadhu, and films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Mission Raniganj, Agneepath, Waaris and Tees Maar Khan, Pandey remains proud of his work but insists he deserves more respect. He described himself as an “A‑class actor” who, though from a middle‑class background, is not an average performer.
In his most recent outing, Pandey appeared in Ginny Weds Sunny 2, a spiritual sequel to the 2020 film starring Vikrant Massey and Yami Gautam. The new film, directed by Prasshant Jha and featuring Avinash Tiwary and Medha Shankr, received negative reviews and failed at the box office.
