Opportunities are growing but so is the number of new actors wanting to enter the industry: Saii Ranade

MUMBAI: There are thousands of actors who play supporting roles to the protagonists, give the film a new lease of credibility, and are as, if not more, talented than the main leads. However, they do not receive as much fame and stardom as they deserve. In our Casting Call segment, we present a list of some of the most significant Indian television, web, and Bollywood actors who we hope eventually get their due in the future.

We got in touch with the beautiful Saii Ranade, who won the audience with her stellar performance in Colors' Laado- Veerpur Ki Mardani. She spoke at length about her perspective on the television industry and her journey. Read on! 

How did you get into acting?

As a child, I was a Bharatnatyam student. Later, I danced at inter-college competitions. During this period, I did my acting workshop with Pandit Satyadev Dubey and starting auditioning for daily soaps. In 2006, I got my first break when I was approached for the lead vamp character in Vahinisaheb on Zee Marathi, and my acting career began.

What projects have you worked in?

After my first show Vahinisaheb, I performed in various Marathi shows like Kulavadhu, Kasturi, Devayani, and Runji; Hindi shows like Dil Se Diya Vachan and Laado 2; and movies like Raanbhool, Bandya Ani Baby, and Spandan. Tara from Satara on Sony TV will be my 14th show, and I am very excited to be a part of this project as I have been asked to play a quite unique character, that of Chinu Chachi (Tara's Chachi).  

How difficult is it to survive in an expensive city like Mumbai, for actors?

Very few actors are engaged in shows throughout the year. So it is a challenge to survive in this industry, as one has to manage the inconsistent or delayed flow of income from production houses. With this financial challenge, living in an expensive city like Mumbai is fairly difficult.

Are actors paid well?

Well, one is never satisfied with whatever he or she gets! Yeh dil maange more. Depending on your talent, popularity, number of years in the industry, 'preferred by channel' status, and many other factors, you can get any where between a few thousand rupees per day to much more.

Your tip for aspiring actors?

Aspiring actors should initially focus only on the character that they are getting to play and its screen time. If you perform well, you start getting more and more calls from production houses, and your fees increase gradually. But the demand–supply equation plays a major role in finalizing the per-day fee. Opportunities are growing, with more TV channels, web series, apps, etc., but so is the number of new actors wanting to enter this industry.

Tell us in detail about your upcoming project, Tara from Satara

Tara from Satara is a heart-touching story of a young, carefree girl named Tara who belongs to a middle-class family from Satara. The family has a background of excellence in dance, and Tara has aspirations to go in the same direction just like her elder sister. Chinu Chachi is Tara's aunty and has her own view about everything that is happening in the family and influences the incidents in the house in varied ways.

Here's wishing Saii all the luck for her new show.