"Television actors don't have the carriage."
Actor Rohit Roy has sparked a debate after calling television a “dustbin medium” and describing cinema as the medium built “for posterity.”
The remarks were made during an interview on the Kindle Cast YouTube channel, where Roy spoke candidly.
Roy began his career on television and became known through popular shows including Swabhimaan and Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand.
Despite owing much of his early fame to the small screen, he did not hold back when asked about the state of Indian television today.
“This question has been asked of me several times, and I sometimes feel that I shouldn’t come across as ungrateful.
“But, television is a dustbin medium. You watch it today; it’s like yesterday’s newspaper. Tomorrow, you forget about it.
“So, in India, unfortunately, with the amount of content being created and the same kind of content being created, there’s hardly any creativity.”
He acknowledged that while Swabhimaan is remembered, several other shows he has appeared in have been entirely forgotten by audiences over time.
Roy also addressed the well-known hierarchy within Indian entertainment that places film actors above those who work primarily in television.
Rather than challenging that hierarchy, he appeared to validate it by pointing to what he described as a difference in conduct between the two groups.
He said, “Quite honestly, television actors don’t have the carriage that film actors have,” adding that movie stars maintain a “graceful, dignified, stylish, cool” front in public.
He contrasted this with what he described as the behaviour and sartorial choices of television actors at public events.
“You have to conduct yourself with a certain amount of grace, dignity.
“You can’t do hoo-haa and make stupid comments because you know the paps are there.”
He also called out an unnamed television star for dressing in a manner he considered inappropriately skimpy at public appearances.
When the host pointed out that he seemed to have internalised the film-versus-television hierarchy, Roy did not back down.
He doubled down by again calling television a “dustbin medium” and reaffirming his belief that “cinema is for posterity.”
He went further by comparing the difference between the two mediums to the distinction between playing cricket for India and playing in the Ranji Trophy.
The analogy positioned cinema as the pinnacle of achievement and television as a lesser, more forgettable arena.
Throughout the interview, Roy repeatedly returned to the theme of television being forgettable and films being the work that truly endures.
Rohit Roy’s comments have drawn attention online, with many questioning whether his perspective fairly represents the evolution of Indian television.
