Arshad Warsi: Stardom in Bollywood is No Longer Authentic

Arshad Warsi offers a refreshing perspective on stardom in Bollywood, arguing that the pursuit of fame has become futile and largely illusory. In a recent interview, he emphasized that genuine stardom is exemplified by icons like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan, whose influence extends far beyond their social media following.

In the interview, he was asked about the changing idea of stardom in the age of social media. To which, Arshad said, “Unfortunately, stardom today is become (a) manufactured product, it is not real anymore. It’s an illusion. It’s a created and manufactured stuff. Stardom for me is Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan. These are stars and they have stardom. They don’t need social media for anybody to know that these people are stars – I think that is stardom, not the followers you have or the followers you brought.”

Arshad is set to make a return to comedy with upcoming projects, including Jolly LLB 3 and Welcome to the Jungle, as well as Banda Singh Chaudhary, produced by Arbaaz Khan and featuring Meher Vij.

He also spoke about social media influencers, saying, “The platform that brought actors and creative people back is OTT. All these influencers – as I said, it is all manufactured popularity. There is no content to it, there is no solid talent to it. I admire what they do, but unfortunately, it’s not long-lasting. The only thing that lasts long is your talent and what you really have – honest hard work and honest talent. Rest everything that is manufactured, doesn’t last long, there is no longevity. So it has no value for me.”