Over the years, several actors have spoken about the disparities that exist behind the scenes. Now, veteran performer Govind Namdev has weighed in on the subject, shedding light on the culture of inequality on film sets, from creative exchanges to even the way meals are served. He also singled out his ‘Oh My God!’ co-star Akshay Kumar as a rare exception who ensures everyone is treated the same.
In a recent conversation, Govind was asked whether leading stars approach him for guidance, considering his decades of experience in the industry. Dismissing the idea, he explained that the hierarchy in Bollywood rarely allows for such exchanges.
“No, this is not how the industry functions. Stars believe that if they will take advice from another actor, they would be below them in some way. This is the first thought that comes to their mind,” he said in an interview with The Lallantop.
He elaborated further, stating, “The stars feel that if they will ask, the other person will think that they don’t know how to do it, there’s a limitation. He is a star, on top level, he doesn’t feel that need to ask me. Even if he wants to ask, he will go to someone of the same star level actor. I play mostly villain characters, they think I am a small actor.”
Govind also spoke candidly about the visible class divide on film sets, particularly when it comes to facilities and food arrangements.
“There is a major system of big and small stars, people function as per hierarchy, in terms of salaries and treatment in the film industry. If someone gets paid more, that person will get a huge vanity van, that’s how it is decided. Food heirarchy also exists on film sets. The stars have different foods, and others eat different food items. ”
However, he recalled a contrasting experience during the shoot of Oh My God!, directed by
Umesh Shukla. According to Govind, Akshay Kumar and the director made a conscious effort to break this pattern.
“There are people who have fresh perspective towards this, they try that everyone should be treated equally. Good people like Akshay Kumar, during the shoot of Oh My God. The actor and the film’s director Umesh Shukla decided together that everyone should eat and drink the same thing. If someone doesn’t eat onion or garlic, then that’s a different case, otherwise everybody should be treated equally. The environment was something else at that time, on the shoot location of OMG,” the veteran actor said.
