Shekhar Suman says talent beats visibility, cites Akshaye Khanna in Dhurandhar

Shekhar Suman said that talent and strong performances matter more than social media visibility in today's film industry. He cited Akshaye Khanna's impactful role in Dhurandhar as an example of how a powerful performance can redefine an actor's relevance.

In Short

• Shekhar Suman critiqued social media obsession over talent
• Cited Akshaye Khanna's comeback as proof of performance value
• Praised Dhurandhar for strong roles and direction

With Dhurandhar generating buzz, Shekhar Suman reflected on the industry while highlighting Akshaye Khanna’s performance in the film. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, he spoke about the growing focus on visibility and how, even today, a strong role can redefine an actor’s standing.

Speaking about the social media era, Suman said, “There’s far too much emphasis on only being seen around, and likes, and being seen and being appreciated. They get depressed if they don’t get as many likes as they had imagined. That kind of thing. You believe in your talent, believe in your craft, and the rest, everything is going to follow.

"And for actors, it’s not important to be seen around on social media. I don’t think so. Your work should speak for itself. When people see you on screen, they will remember you for years,” he added.

Shekhar Suman cites Akshaye Khanna's performance in Dhurandhar

Suman underscored his point by citing Akshaye Khanna as an example, whose return to the spotlight proved that performance outweighs presence.

“Akshaye Khanna, for 10 years, was nowhere. No partying, no social media, no nothing. One performance and that’s it. He decimated all those notions about being seen. These are weak signs by weak people, and I strongly believe that one strong performance is equivalent to so many of your reels that you made, and so many times that you were papped, and so many times that you were seen. It really doesn’t matter because people are not going to give you extra marks for being seen around if you’re giving a bad performance. So a good performance is a good performance, and that’s it. It doesn’t need crutches,” the actor said.

However, the actor was equally clear that talent alone is not always enough. According to him, the right opportunity plays a decisive role in shaping an actor’s journey.

“An actor is nothing without opportunity. Why Mr Amitabh Bachchan doesn’t succeed for 13 movies and come a cropper, and then suddenly he emerges like the big superstar? How? He got the right opportunity. He gets a Yash Chopra, he gets Javed Saab to write his lines, he gets Khayyam Saab to give the music, and he gets the right script, the right characters, the right image building, the right character energy - all of that combined. So it’s the opportunity that you get that makes an actor what he is. So I feel all actors are the same. It’s the opportunities that differ,” the actor added.

Shekhar Suman talks about Rakesh Bedi's character in Dhurandhar

He extended this thought to actors like Rakesh Bedi, whose recent work in Dhurandhar highlights the power of a well-written role and the vision of a director.

“Before Dhurandhar released, I was in Itanagar, and I was performing, and he had just performed and come and gone. He called me up specially. He said, ‘Sheku, you have to watch this film, Dhurandhar, which I have done. You will really love me. It’s a great film.’ I had not imagined that the role would be so extensive. I probably imagined that it would be different, but this different - I mean, it probably must be a surprise for him as well. So this is what a role does to you," the Chor Machaaye Shor actor said.

"He’s the same Rakesh Bedi who he used to be before, but now, because of the director, because of the script, because of the role, of course, his efforts are there, but it’s thanks to the director who allowed him that latitude to perform the way he did,” he added.

Sharing his own viewing experience, Suman dismissed concerns around the film’s length and praised its storytelling.

“Yes, I watched it. I watched both. I didn’t sleep anywhere. That’s because it was a long film. People said that you will sleep while watching it, but nothing like that. People were sitting on the edge of their seats."

Suman added that it was a very nice film and praised director Aditya Dhar, noting his rise in the industry and how he gained recognition after Uri. He appreciated the film’s editing, cinematography and background score, saying they added a lot to the overall impact. He also said the characters felt so real and effective that audiences forgot the actors and simply connected with the characters.

- Ends