Vasudha Lead Star Priya Thakur: Don't Confuse Your Self-Respect With Silence

Priya Thakur, who plays the lead role in Vasudha, believes it's not just ego that holds actors back, but also the fear of rejection. She further shared, "I don't think it should work like that. If we ask for work, then people will come to know that we want to work. It's as simple as that."

"Asking for work is nothing to be ashamed of. If you want to work, you can tell people that you want to work, and if there is something for me, you can tell me. I want to do it. People feel that they'll look desperate if they ask for work, but I feel it makes people proactive," she added.

That distinction between appearing desperate and being proactive is one that changes the way many actors view their careers. She said, "I think it is important for an actor to actively reach out rather than wait for opportunities. Because previously, it used to be like that where actors could wait and they would wait for calls from channels or any production house. But now, I think visibility matters and networking also matters."

"Casting directors and producers are constantly finding talent through meetings, communication, networking, social media, etc. So, I think it is important to have talent, but yeah, visibility too," she added.

Asked if talent alone is enough, Priya shared, "I think talent alone is not enough because if you have talent and nobody is watching you, nobody knows that you have talent. Then what's the point of having talent, basically?"

"Talent is a foundation. You can't survive long without talent. But you need a platform to be seen. A lot of talent remains unnoticed and stays unseen, only because people don't know they exist and that they have talent. So, I think networking is something that takes your talent to another platform," she added.

She also explained why asking for work can feel more difficult for actors who have already established themselves. She said, "I think it's a mindset that actors should be approached by someone rather than approaching someone. Especially when an actor reaches a certain level, a certain status, he gets more hesitant because of his image."

"But I think any successful actor nowadays, every successful actor, is networking in some form, and they want to communicate for work. They want to go to parties just to make social circles. Some people are doing it obviously, and some people are doing it subtly," she added.

And for anyone who still feels uncomfortable asking for opportunities, she said, "Don't confuse your self-respect with silence. If you really feel that you're good at your talent and you have a good craft, then there's nothing wrong with asking people out there, telling people that you are here, introducing yourself, sending your works, or asking for opportunities. There's nothing wrong."

"And obviously, our industry rewards those people who are more visible, more persistent, and more prepared. So, I think it's okay to ask for work. It's totally fine for me," Priya ended.