Every new age actor or actress aspiring to make an impact on cinema should listen to Arjun Sarja’s polished and sophisticated account of what he felt about an upcoming hero Viswak Sen’s unprofessional behavior. Here’s one of South India’s legendary hero Arjun Sarja who signed on Viswaksen as a hero opposite his star daughter. But the new age hero, basking in the success of just a film has cancelled the schedule of the film not once but twice or thrice over, creating huge setback and loss to Director and Actor Arjun Sarja. All through his eleven minute speech, Action King Arjun’s anguish at the uncool and unprofessional attitude of the new age hero can be clearly seen while showing deep restraint in the language. But are the new stars learning their lessons? Or, is this the last of the bitter experiences for producers and directors who pour lot of blood, sweat and emotions into a film project?
We can’t really say. But current trends of the new and upcoming actors and actresses is not giving a good account of themselves. A key point here about Viswaksen is that he is trying to make films with characterizations that typify a cavalier attitude, a certain air of nonchalance and recklessness – almost similar to the presentation of another emerging Superstar who just preceded him. But this attitude, this persona that made him so popular in recent films may look good on screen but off-screen it is important to remember the age-old virtues of professionalism, self-discipline, commitment to the creative team and adherence to promises made in taking up a project. One should never get mixed up between screen roles and the behavior and attitude adopted in dealings behind the screen. This is what makes a big difference in the long run and it can make or mar an actor’s journey from being an actor to becoming a respected actor and later a commanding superstar. Most of the heroes who have become legends in their own lifetime have all followed this principle very well – stay committed to the craft, but honour the commitments made and once committed, never back off or deviate from being professional. Changing dates recklessly, giving flimsy excuses to buy time, over-booking the diary with clashing dates, taking hefty advances and then reneging on the project, disrespecting the schedules announced by the director-producer team for silly or selfish reasons – all these are going to undermine the medium term and long-term prospects of a fledgling actor’s professional life. Sooner or later, an actor who acts unprofessionally like this or takes short-cuts to wriggle out of mutually-agreed projects will tarnish their image and standing in the Film Industry- which is quite fast at connecting the dots and finding out serial offenders. Another instance is of an upcoming heroine who had a recent hit but had to face flak from the Guild for manipulating her dates with a New Manager. What you have to realize is that success cannot be sustained with short-cut approaches of changing a Manager or manipulating dates. It has to be earned on a continuous basis with steady dedication and discipline to honor schedules instead of over-committing.
Back in the golden years, Superstars like NTR and Krishna not only gave their best cooperation to directors and producers but also supported them during phases where the films flop or they were going through a lean phase. There were several instances where Superstar Krishna offered to do films for free or give bulk dates for another project which helped them to bounce back financially after a setback in the current film. NTR also helped many producers recoup their losses with consecutive films – all these at a time when competition was as intense then as it is now. One needs to understand the rationale of the current actresses and actors in such obnoxious behavior as happened with a veteran like Arjun Sarja. Is it Greed? Or Insecurity? Or a fear about their short shelf-life that makes these actors walk out of an ongoing project or not go for promotions when the film is near-flop or give unprofessional excuses via their Managers? Whatever they may be, once they commit to the film’s project, it becomes their duty to remain steadfast to the film till they complete. It is in this diligence and professionalism that today’s new age and upcoming actors and actresses need to learn from the legends like NTR and Superstar Krishna. Or even take a leaf out of current reigning Superstars like Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, NTR Jr and Ramcharan. Just imagine what would have happened if Prabhas or NTR Jr or Ramcharan had walked out of the sets of a Rajamouli film because it is taking more time than committed. Or Allu Arjun walked out of “Pushpa” because of the pandemic. Or had Mahesh Babu didn’t stay committed to “Sarkari Vaari Paata” because he has more films coming his way.
The underlying anguish behind Arjun Sarja’s outburst against Viswaksen highlights an important issue that all stars and actors must respect. An actor or actress can say no to any project before signing the dotted line but once they endorse a script after listening to it and commit to the film, they have to remain steadfast even if things go awry or shooting stretches over. A director like Arjun Sarja expected his hero to surrender himself to the project, immerse in the discussions around the look and feel of the hero, come upto speed and work as a team-member in shaping the film to become better in the journey. This extra zeal, commitment, passion and self-discipline that is also consistent is what defines an actor to earn his or her spurs as a professional first and then mature as a performer and a dependable actor later. Eventually, the professionalism and dedication towards the films agreed, make them excel and become more sought-after in the film industry. Most of the actors and actresses who do not recognize this defining characteristic of professionalism and commitment bask in short-term glory and then lose their way and eventually respect from the industry. Pride goes before the fall, as they say. We hope the younger and millennial actors develop a healthy respect for old-fashioned virtues of discipline, self-discipline, and consistent self-discipline and learn from the legends of the film industry and successes of the current ruling actors to become better ambassadors of their work. Success or failure is fleeting but values of professionalism are permanent features of those who survive and flourish in the long run.
