Neha Sharma has had a varied film career, appearing in movies like Tum Bin 2, Youngistaan, and Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum over the years. As Sharma celebrates her birthday today, she reflected on a disappointing professional experience. She shared that she was set to star in a project, but the filmmakers replaced her at the last minute with a social media influencer instead.
Read on to know what made the filmmakers replace her.
Neha Sharma recalls being replaced by an influencer from a project at the last moment
During an interview with News18 Showsha, Neha Sharma shared that she had been cast in a project and preparations were going smoothly, when suddenly she was removed from the film. Discussing the same at length, Sharma recalled that later she learned that the reason behind the same was an influencer replacing her as that person had a huge social media following.
“I was testing for a part. I did four-five readings and I got along with the whole team. I fit the part and everything was right. And then suddenly, I got a call saying that it’s not happening. When I asked them what happened, I came to know that they decided to go ahead with an influencer with millions and millions of followers,” she said.
Expanding further, Sharma voiced her belief that being cast in a film should be based on talent and acting ability, not social media popularity. In her view, the credentials and skillset of a trained actor should hold more weight than the size of someone’s online fanbase when making casting decisions.
She speculated that some film producers currently feel that leveraging the existing audience of an influencer can drive people to theaters. However, Sharma expressed her desire for more “authentic casting” centered on acting talent going forward.
Neha Sharma’s take on casting procedures in Bollywood
Expanding on casting approaches in Bollywood, Sharma noted that actors only get access to auditions for a small number of scripts, rather than many options. She explained that after filmmakers shortlist actors based on their criteria and needs for a project, the options become very limited.
She also recalled how in the past there was immense “pressure” on stars surrounding theatrical releases. However, Sharma expressed that times have changed. She conveyed optimism that with the industry evolving, there will be more opportunities and work for everyone going forward.
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