Bijay Anand, who made his acting comeback with the TV series Siya Ke Ram after almost two decades, recently opened up about the television stars' claims of being looked down upon by the Bollywood industry. Bijay left showbiz after his 1998 film Pyaar Toh  Hona Hi Tha, starring Kajol and Ajay Devgn in the lead roles. After having quit acting, the actor made a comeback 17 years later. Now having worked in both films and television, Bijay in an exclusive conversation with Republic shared his view on whether or not Bollywood treats television stars unfairly.

Bijay Anand says Bollywood never looked down upon him

Bijay Anand, who starred in films Adipurush, Shershaah, Crakk, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan among others after his acting comeback, gave his honest opinion on the ongoing television vs Bollywood debate. He said, "I am staying in a building, next to me is a building which costs three times more. Now, if I look at that building and think that they are looking at me because my building is cheaper, what can I do? If today my flat is costing ₹15 crores and the other flat is costing ₹50 crore so should I be crying for living in a flat that costs ₹15 crores? It's fine."

He added, "Similarly, Bollywood is bigger than television. If you have an inferiority complex. I never thought anybody looked down upon me. I know Abhishek Bachchan. I knew Hrithik very well at one time. They were all good friends. They always treated me well. They never made me feel like I was a television actor.  It's your problem and insecurity that makes you think that people are looking at you in that manner. If you are secure, if you know who you are what you are, and why you are, you will never feel that someone is looking down upon you. Because you are not looking for validation from somebody else."

What is this television vs Bollywood debate all about?

Several television personalities such as Hina Khan, Jennifer Winget, Eijaz Khan, Shweta Tiwari, Mahima Makwana, and Vivek Dahiya among others in past have complained about how television stars are looked down upon by film stars and the Hindi film industry.

Shweta Tiwari in one of her interviews said, "When you meet filmy people, sometimes they make you feel you are small or you are from TV."

Vivek Dahiya in another such interview revealed that when he was on a sabbatical for four years, "there were a lot of times" when he was shortlisted for a part "but got rejected in the end" because the producer felt he came from TV.