‘Big stars don’t even look at the supporting cast’: Rajesh Kumar exposes Bollywood's "class system" and insecure leads

Rajesh Kumar, famous from ‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai,' recently said there's a class system on film sets; lead stars often don't even talk to supporting actors. Indian cinema has always been star-driven. A star brings the film's budget, and promotions focus only on them. But success depends on the whole cast, who make the movie a full, fun experience. This gets noticed after hits like 'Dhurandhar,' but not always.During a recent YouTube chat on Aftab Puntoo’s channel, Rajesh revealed how limited discussions are on major film sets, involving just 4-5 key people. “If you go on a big set, only 4-5 people are discussing everything. The director, the cinematographer, the main actors, and the main writer. Rest of the people, their experiences that they don’t count for anything,” he said. Kumar noted he's never collaborated with Amitabh Bachchan but heard the legend rehearses with the supporting cast, a practice other stars skip. “Lately, I have not seen any main actor rehearse with us. Either they rehearse with the writer or the assistant. They don’t have any interaction with the secondary cast, and that is why the film suffers because sometimes people think that the secondary actor might overshadow us,” he said, hinting at stars' insecurities toward skilled supporting actors, leading them to create hurdles. “They make it so that the secondary cast gets their lines at the last moment. This way, the actor is just consumed with learning the lines,” he added.The actor shared an unnamed encounter with a “great actor” who ignored him completely, turning to an assistant to question his performance. “I have worked with some ‘great actors’ who will not look at you and will ask the associate, ‘Yeh aisa kyu bol rahe hain (Why is he saying this)?' No, we don’t need rehearsal. We will go for a take,” he recalled. “I am just saying that we need to get out of this system,” he urged. Amid tales of negativity, Rajesh balanced it with uplifting memories, like his time with Dimple Kapadia on the Jodhpur set of ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya.' She truly “inspired” him by reaching out to co-actors rather than staying distant. “In this matter, there was Dimple Kapadia who inspired us,” he shared. One day, as everyone praised her, she paused the flattery to learn about them: “Five minutes into the conversation, she just said, ‘Sorry to stop you all. I take all the compliments with gratitude, but please tell me something about yourselves. How did you get into this line of work? What kind of roles do you like? Because I don’t know so many things, so I want to know about you.’ This inspired me,” he recalled fondly.Rajesh Kumar rose to stardom with ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai.' In the 20 years since, he's starred in TV hits like ‘Baa Bahoo Aur Baby’ and ‘Neeli Chatri Waale'; web series including ‘Kota Factory’ and ‘Yeh Meri Family'; plus films such as 'Saiyaara,' 'Nishaanchi,' and ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya,' and plenty more.