Barun Sobti Reveals Why He Moved to Bollywood: TV was Becoming Exhausting

Barun Sobti Reveals Why He Moved to Bollywood: TV was Becoming Exhausting

Actor Barun Sobti, who swept TV audiences off their feet with his chemistry with Sanaya Irani in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, has revealed why he bid adieu to the small screen.

"TV is a powerful medium, as it reaches out to so many people. The only problem that I have is with the format and programming. It's impossible to do something round the clock for years and still be creative about it," Barun told the Bombay Times in an interview.

Talking about his shift from TV to Bollywood, he said, "When I was doing television, the digital medium wasn't around and TV was becoming increasingly difficult. That's why films happened. There was no dream of getting into Bollywood as such. My journey has been a progression. I always accept or reject projects on the basis of content. As an actor, I get involved and try to do the best I can in every project I work on. And for me, it's the day's job that has to be satisfying, and not a project as a whole. If you base your satisfaction on how people like it or what the box office collection of a project is like, then it's difficult to survive here."

The actor said he finds TV exhausting. "TV actors are always insecure and they fear getting replaced. Since there's a huge influx of actors, nobody voices their concerns or opinions. So, you keep working for long hours, which is absolutely against the labour laws. It's a bitter-sweet thing. When you become popular as the lead of a show, you are expected to shoot for 12 hours every single day! You don’t have a choice," he said.

Barun added, "There are some artists who throw tantrums and say that they won't shoot for more than three hours, but I'm not that kind of a person. So, I have to kill my conscience. As humans, we need to respect everyone's time. Lekin apni industry mein sab chalta hai. Yahan aap poora din kaam karte raho, koi farak nahin padta hai kisi ko. Once people start making money from a show, then it's not about creativity anymore."

Making his Bollywood debut with Main Aur Mr. Riight, Barun has starred in 22 Yards, and will be seen next in Satra Ko Shaadi Hai.