While many shows are casting actors based on social media presence and fame, actress Yashashri Masurkar feels that this needs to change. She says that actors must be judged on their acting talent and not just social media followers.

“Social media fame isn’t fame, it’s a fad. You are literally the flavour of the month. It is so superficial and that is the reason why I feel actors should not be judged by their social media presence,” she says.

She adds, “I feel that fame and success cannot be dependent on one another. People might love the way you act, yet you might feel you are not famous enough. Or, you might be famous, but your projects might not do well. So that doesn’t mean that your fame would decrease. These things are not related to each other. Look at Shah Rukh Khan, he has had a string if flop films, but has his fame decreased?” she says.

There are some actors, especially on the small screen, who are known by their character names. Talking about such fame, she says, “Of course, no popularity goes waste. So even when you are known by your character name, you do get a fair taste of fame and love from your fans. But it is an absolutely different feeling when people know who you really are, by your real name. That feeling of achieving stardom is surreal. When people refer to you by your name and come for selfies or just to say hi, that feeling of happiness is immeasurable.”

She adds, “Actors and stars are different, you might achieve stardom if you are a good actor, but just because you are a star, does not mean you are a good actor too. Rajkumar Rao, the late Irrfan Khan, Shefali Shah, Tabu, these are few people who are actors and stars too. For me, the superstar of Bollywood has always been and will be Shahrukh Khan. He is the hope and example every actor needs. He built an empire out of nothing, played multiple characters beautifully, won millions of hearts and is still down to earth…what else can define stardom and excellence in craft?”