Mahima Makwana Claims TV Actors Are Looked Down Upon In Bollywood, Shares Her Experience

Mahima Makwana, who made her Bollywood debut with Antim, recently featured in the web series Showtime. The actress shared the screen with stalwarts like Emraan Hashmi, and Naseeruddin Shah among others. In a recent interview, Mahima shared how she has been looked down upon in the Hindi film industry because of her television roots.

Mahima Makwana opens up about facing difficulties in the industry

During an interview with The Free Press Journal, Mahima Makwana was asked if she too like other TV stars experienced a different treatment in Bollywood. Replying to the question, Makwana said, "Coming from the TV industry myself, there have been times when I have been looked down upon and I’ve seen people having some preconceived notions about me just because of the fact that I have had roots from television."

She continued, “But in the end, I think it’s the performances and an actor's love for their craft that speaks for them. How else would a girl like me land such great roles in Bollywood.” Mahima further added that talent and hard work have the power to transcend any industry stereotypes. She also said that things do take time, but they work out eventually.

Mahima Makwana recalls her first day on the sets of Showtime

During the same interview, Mahima Makwana shared her experience of working with actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi. She said it was "truly an incredible learning experience."

The actress further recalled how Naseeruddin Shah helped her on the sets of the series. She said, "I remember this one incident from the first day of shoot with Naseeruddin sir wherein it was time to shoot my close-ups and he went and took his mark for me to have a dialogue and I was really moved seeing this kind of dedication and it will stay with me forever."

Created by Sumit Roy and directed by Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar, Showtime began to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from March 8. 

What did the other TV stars say about Bollywood looking down upon them?

Previously, famous TV personalities such as Shweta Tiwari, Vivek Dahiya, Hina Khan, Jennifer Winget, and Nishant Malkhani among others have complained about film stars and Bollywood looking down upon them.

In an old interview, Nishant Malkhani said, "We TV actors have been looked down upon TV actors. Those people who have been part of Bollywood have always thought of themselves as superior."

Shweta Tiwari once said in an interview, "When you meet filmy people, sometimes they make you feel you are small or you are from TV."

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

Hina Khan, who has worked in both TV, films, and OTT, in an interview with IANS revealed, " I have done theatrical films, I have done digital (films) and then I have done television for the longest time."

She added, "What I see after all these years is that we (TV stars) are looked down upon. I don't know why."