Dakssh Ajit Singh: Even if you bag a film, you might lose it to groupism

Actor Dakssh Ajit Singh believes the proverbial gap between the movie and television industries, which has often prevented the filtration of talent, has been correctively diminishing over the years.

Recalling the early part of his 15-year-long acting career, he says, “I was content with modelling gigs when I was offered a TV show. Fortunately, my character was much lauded by the audience. I felt as if things will be alright from that point on and therefore, I started trying to bag roles in movies. However, like several other actors, I was also labelled as a TV actor by a few makers and casting people and was on stand-by for them.”

He adds, “Filmmakers would tell me — aap TV se ho, mushkil hai. If, at all, I landed a role, there was always the fear of losing it due to groupism and uncertainty. This was despite my doing some realy good roles during my career in the TV industry. Somehow, I was unable to cash in on the praise I was getting for my TV roles. It took me four years to break the jinx.”

The actor shot to fame with TV shows like Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak and Laado-2. Singh has also dabbled in penning lyrics for shows and Punjabi videos. When asked about OTT platforms, Singh said, “OTTs are giving several good actors their due. Before the web revolution, many good actors, artistes, and technicians had negligible or no work. Thankfully, OTT happened and took the entertainment industry by storm. While the pandemic was disruptive for all of us, a number of makers, actors, and technicians achieved success during the time when the consumption of OTT content skyrocketed. I am also among those actors.”

Singh says he is currently enjoying his new-found success and is elated with the kind of work coming his way. “Some roles change the course of your career, my character Laadi from the series CAT is surely up there. The show has been a game-changer for me. It gave me better control over my career. I am glad that my hard work has been rewarded. The series took time to release but it was able to win hearts. Next, I’ll be seen in a multilingual film that has a huge canvas, along with a series titled Gangs of NCR and another project Brown Boys in my kitty,” shares the actor.