Vijay Kumar, who played corrupt cop Bulbul Pandey in my last release Anaarkali Of Aarah, made a perceptive comment about the predicament of film actors during one of our workshops. Listening to me crib about having to glam up for an 'appearance' at some event, he joked, "You thought you came to do 'acting', but there is less 'act' and more 'ting' in this business.

I don't know about 'pure' actors but I, the actor-turned-wannabe-star or now-I-am-a-celebrity variety of actor, can vouch for the veracity of this statement. These days, I spend far more time on the 'ting' than the 'act'. Perhaps that is a natural progression for people scrambling for success in a profession that rests so fundamentally on perception. You are not famous or a star until and unless you are seen to be famous or seen to be a star, by others.