Ginny Wedss Sunny 2's Medha Shankr, Avinash Tiwary on unsolicited career advice
Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary opened up about handling unsolicited career advice in the film industry. The Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 actors shared their perspectives on choosing the right work over outside pressure.
In Bollywood, like any other industry, everyone around you seems to have a template for your career, a timeline for your success, and a ready answer to the “what next” question. For actors, it can be challenging to sift through the many kinds of feedback. Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary recently spoke to India Today about how they navigate that noise.
Medha, who saw a massive spike in visibility after Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, shared that the most common advice she received came wrapped in urgency. “One thing that was advised to me was to sign a second film as soon as possible, almost immediately,” she said. The actor added that people often forget that signing a film is just a formality; one needs the right script first.
"They said people will forget you, but what kind of reason is it for me to quickly do another film if I don't understand the meaning of the film? I would rather wait for something that I believe in as opposed to just saying that I am not trying to make a reel. It's my work, and I will give it the kind of respect it deserves," she added.
Avinash, on the other hand, said he has largely escaped the barrage of advice, mostly because, as he put it, people may not have cared enough to offer it. “I don't think anyone thought I was their own to advise me. Also, they could have been scared that if they do, I will ask them four difficult questions in return that they don't have answers to," he said.
However, he did share that there was one conversation that stayed with him, not quite advice, but something that shifted his lens.
“There was one conversation that was interesting for me. Someone said to me that Avinash, you are a very good chef. What do you eat for breakfast? I replied, I usually have tea, eggs, and toast. They asked, how many days do you eat that? I said, I eat it for four to five days, and have something else the other two days. So they told me that means I don't take much risk. I tried defending myself, saying I do try to pick different genres and roles. They then said, when everyone is eating toast and eggs every day, why don't you make the best bread in the city? Why don't you try new dishes with that? I never saw it that way. I didn't think like that. I got a new perspective. So that's worthy advice, even if not direct advice; it was something," he shared.
Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 is currently running in theatres.
In Bollywood, like any other industry, everyone around you seems to have a template for your career, a timeline for your success, and a ready answer to the “what next” question. For actors, it can be challenging to sift through the many kinds of feedback. Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary recently spoke to India Today about how they navigate that noise.
Medha, who saw a massive spike in visibility after Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, shared that the most common advice she received came wrapped in urgency. “One thing that was advised to me was to sign a second film as soon as possible, almost immediately,” she said. The actor added that people often forget that signing a film is just a formality; one needs the right script first.
"They said people will forget you, but what kind of reason is it for me to quickly do another film if I don't understand the meaning of the film? I would rather wait for something that I believe in as opposed to just saying that I am not trying to make a reel. It's my work, and I will give it the kind of respect it deserves," she added.
Avinash, on the other hand, said he has largely escaped the barrage of advice, mostly because, as he put it, people may not have cared enough to offer it. “I don't think anyone thought I was their own to advise me. Also, they could have been scared that if they do, I will ask them four difficult questions in return that they don't have answers to," he said.
However, he did share that there was one conversation that stayed with him, not quite advice, but something that shifted his lens.
“There was one conversation that was interesting for me. Someone said to me that Avinash, you are a very good chef. What do you eat for breakfast? I replied, I usually have tea, eggs, and toast. They asked, how many days do you eat that? I said, I eat it for four to five days, and have something else the other two days. So they told me that means I don't take much risk. I tried defending myself, saying I do try to pick different genres and roles. They then said, when everyone is eating toast and eggs every day, why don't you make the best bread in the city? Why don't you try new dishes with that? I never saw it that way. I didn't think like that. I got a new perspective. So that's worthy advice, even if not direct advice; it was something," he shared.
Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 is currently running in theatres.
