Himanshu Malhotra: Even biggest of stars can’t guarantee box office results on their own now

Actor Himanshu Malhotra has dabbled in both TV and film mediums in his 16-year-long career. He feels that unlike the past, there’s no discrimination towards actors transitioning from TV to movies, anymore.

“I didn’t experience any discrimination when I did Shershaah. The way things are in the industry or across the globe today is, if you fit the part, you fit the part. What difference does it make where you are coming from? The work you have done in the past only adds to the popularity,” says the 39-year-old, who was seen in TV shows such as Aapki Antara and Airlines, and in the film Wajah Tum Ho (2016).

Malhotra feels that popularity isn’t the sole criteria for casting actors anymore. “There was a time when we lived in a star-based system, but it is not like that these days. That’s why even the biggest of stars go for content-driven cinema now. They individually don’t guarantee box-office results,” quips the actor.

He played the role of captain Rajeev Malhotra in the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Shershaah, and is happy with the praise his performance fetched him.

“It (the portrayal) garnered a lot of respect for the first one and a half months after the film released. We were presented well… Everyone watched the film twice or thrice. I loved it, too. The movie was a blockbuster, despite the fact that it released on OTT, and not theatres,” says Malhotra