MUMBAI: Ashok Lokhande is one of the most renowned faces on television. 

He has been around the industry for the longest time and has been an integral part of some of the most popular television shows not only in Hindi but also the regional cinema. Well, Ashok is currently seen in SAB TV’s Kaatelal & Sons and has a very strong opinion on how celebrities are cast keeping in check the followers on social media and not the talent. 

Ashok, in an exclusive conversation with Tellychakkar.com shared, “Well, I would like to say that these days people believe that those actors who have got good followers on social media will also get good TRPs but I feel that the TRPs also depend upon the acting of the performer, the direction and the script! But I hear my co-actors like Megha Chakroborty, Jiya Shankar, Paras Arora talk about who has got how many followers. Recently, they had made a reel with me and when they put it up, they got so many likes and comments. So this is the trend which is going on. For that matter the casting and creative directors are also coming from the social media savvy culture, so they are bound to think that this is how they will cast and the TRPs will increase. It is their misconception. 

The biggest example is that when Mihir (Amar Upadhyay) was shown dead in the show and was then brought back owing to massive fan demand. He had ventured into the movie space but his film career did not see a boost. On television, he became a superstar! Every medium is different and the requirements are different too. For that matter, if you take superstar Shah Rukh Khan, he did fairly well on television but his art was something that suited films. Every medium is different and it is not necessary that the stardom of one medium can be used in another. 

A very simple example is that of Kapil Sharma. He has such a graph and makes the audience laugh so much that one cannot move from their seats when he appears on television as they cannot have enough of watching him perform. Be it old or new, all his episodes are a superhit but when it came to film, the response was not the same. It is because the craft, grammar and the entire approach is different. There are different expectations from different mediums. Similarly, having followers does not make one a superstar!” 

Continuing further, Ashok averred, “However, it was a while ago that I was offered endorsement work and they asked me how much would I quote. When I asked for suggestions from my colleagues, the first question which they asked me is that how many followers do I have? That means my payment will be decided on the basis of the followers I have! This is something we all have to live with as the times are changing and one needs to be active on social media too as the famous saying goes – out of sight, out of mind! There are many Bollywood actors who have to come to the small screens to promote their projects as they have to focus on the medium which attracts the masses to promote themselves. 

Fortunately, I am recognized and whenever I put a picture of myself, I quickly get likes and comments.” 

Well said Ashok! (Also Read: What! Dhara’s exit will bring Anita back in Gautam’s life in StarPlus’ Pandya Store)