Sandiip Sikcand backs Shivangi Khedkar in talent vs social media following debate: Casting should be about ability, not Instagram numbers

At a time when social media metrics are increasingly influencing casting decisions, producer Sandiip Sikcand has spoken out against the practice of judging actors by their follower count.

His remarks came after Shivangi Khedkar, who played the lead in his show Mehndi Hai Rachne Waali, shared a screenshot of a message stating that she had lost out on an audition because she did not have enough followers. Reposting it, Sandiip wrote, “The feedback wasn’t about the audition. It wasn’t about the performance. It was about followers. Apparently, 1M is the requirement. The role may be fictional, but the numbers are very real.” Elaborating on his stance, Sandiip tells us, “The criteria for casting anybody in a particular role should only be talent and whether they fit the character. That’s it. All this Instagram followers, Facebook followers, janam kundali, janam patrika, time of birth and date of birth business is complete nonsense. I think that’s why today we see so much substandard acting on television, and even on some OTT shows and in films. I don’t think acting is happening purely on the basis of talent anymore.”

He feels genuinely talented actors are often being sidelined because of an overemphasis on social media popularity. He says, “It is really sad to see talented actors sitting at home while others get work just because they have followers. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I am not saying that everyone with a large following is a bad actor. All I am am saying is that talent has to be the most important thing.” Sandiip adds, “If you’re talented and have zero followers, you deserve to work. If you’re a good actor and have one million or five million followers, you deserve to work too. But if you’re a bad actor and only have extra followers, then I am sorry, you have no place here. Acting is associated with talent, not followers.”