Friendship Day 2022: Celebs reveal are industry friendships for real?

Genuine friendships are almost hard to come by in the entertainment industry, where stars are only as good as their last film. Friendship is the rarest thing in a world that survives in fierce competition. In an industry where crores often ride on your back, you have to make each association or bonding count than just talk your heart out with those who you call friends. Tollywood is well aware of it. Yet there are some bonds that are destined to survive the taste of time, though these bonds often are strictly professional. Our Bengali celebs reveal such bittersweet moments when long-lasting friendships were forged or things just went sour. Check out what they have to say.

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My friends are all from outside the industry and I like to keep it that way. I am cordial with my colleagues from Tollywood and Bollywood. I party with them, I chill out, but when it comes to sharing deep feelings, it is a strict no-no. You can never be sure if they'll turn it into gossip or not. With school friends I can let my guard down and just express myself. `Friend' is too strong a word and too big a responsibility to expect from the professional world.

Making friends when you are not successful is not so tough. But once you have tasted success, people often become apprehensive. In my difficult times, I was shocked to see the help from some unexpected quarters. Sadly, people whom I used to think my friends just vanished from the scene! They, moreover, were jeering at my plight. The friendships that you now see on social media are nothing but superficial. Tell me, do you really have to show off your friendship? Socialising and partying is quite common as people look for fodder for gossip and often flaunt closeness to stars. But all they do in reality is backstab later. I would say it's my school friends who are my real friends. With them I can spend hours as Deepak Adhikari and not be judged.

It’s not like that colleagues can’t be friends, but frankly speaking I have never tried to find best friends in the industry. Although I definitely have a few close friends from my modelling days.

Over the years, I’ve had experiences that led me to believe that one can have healthy, cordial relationships but not friends at the workplace. I believe friends shouldn’t judge you. You expect them to be there through thick and thin. Not just in this industry, but whenever I have faced any issue in life, my so-called friends have been the first to run away and judge. I’m not questioning the word ‘friendship’, but perhaps, I am not blessed to have true friends. The ones who have indeed been there for me through good and bad times are my family and husband.

Can colleagues at work be friends? I would like to ask all the professionals out there. I think the answer to the question lies there. The word friendship is often used casually these days. It’s a very deep relationship and finding a true friend is not an easy job.

I think I am not here to increase my friend list. I am here to earn my bread and butter and work is like worship for me. Generally I don’t like to make friends in the industry as it hampers my focus on work. See, we all are competitors and we have to face the truth. But yes, there are certain bonds that I have enjoyed over the years with people who have stayed beside me.