Panchayat Star Sunita Rajwar Makes SHOCKING Claim About Junior Actors: 'We Are Treated Like Animals'

The entertainment industry operates with an unfair hierarchy, where lead actors receive special treatment, while character actors do not garner the same respect. This inequality is also prevalent in the television industry. In a recent interview, actor Sunita Rajwar who has starred in Panchayat and Gullak, highlighted this issue, revealing that character actors, or those with minor roles, are “treated like animals.”

During a conversation with Brut India at Cannes, where she is representing her film ‘Santosh’ in the Un Certain Regard section, Sunita Rajwar discussed how the industry tends to typecast actors for the sake of simplicity in casting decisions. She explained that many actors, out of necessity to make a living, sometimes succumb to these stereotypes. “It is painful but it is a fact,” she emphasized.

Sunita also addressed the disparities between lead and supporting actors on a set. She noted that while lead actors enjoy various privileges, supporting actors often have to struggle for recognition. “Lead actors are given the call time as per their convenience,” she remarked, highlighting the unfair treatment. While she acknowledged the demanding schedules lead actors face, working continuously throughout the month, she found the level of discrimination and preferential treatment to be “humiliating.”

Commenting on irregular call times, Sunita Rajwar added, “If you know you are not shooting with a particular artiste then call them later. What’s the need of making them sit? It’s like you are trying to shoot others down.”

Further, discussing the conditions on a television set, she highlighted the stark contrast in treatment between lead actors and supporting artists. She remarked, “If you know you are not shooting with a particular artiste then call them later. What’s the need of making them sit? It’s like you are trying to shoot others down,” she said as she spoke about unjust call times. She also spoke about the conditions on a TV set and said, “Lead actors are pampered. Their room will be neat, they will have a fridge, microwave. Where as others like us, we will have a small dingy room. They will make 3-4 people sit. The roof is falling down. No clean bathroom. Your bedsheet will be dirty. Seeing all this, I always felt so bad.”

After enduring numerous such instances, she made the difficult decision to step away from acting and even went as far as cancelling her CINTAA card. Expressing her frustration, she voiced, “When you do small roles you are not respected, you are not paid well, you are treated like animals, which is so heartbreaking.”