Kangana Ranaut and Sidharth Malhotra on friendships in Bollywood

03/08/2015

Popular author Kahlil Gibran said, "Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity." While Bollywood is often stereotyped for having cut-throat competition and volatile relationships, on Friendship Day (August 2), young B-Town celebs say that real friendships do exist in the industry.
People should realise that we (Bollywood) are a bunch of exceptional people. We deal with each other constantly. So, it might become difficult [for us] to get along. But sometimes, we do come across people with whom we develop a good rapport. Also, our fluctuating career graph and life can play a major role [in maintaining the relationships we make]. Even my old friends have admitted that it has been hard for them to come to terms with the sudden ascent in my career. So, you never know what expectations other people have of you. It’s not like things aren’t nice in Bollywood, but it’s called ‘mayanagri’ for a reason. It is so full of illusions that it’s difficult to have balance and genuine relationships.
Real friendship takes some time to develop. I am an outsider, and I’ve spent only a year in Bollywood. But, I feel that people here have been really warm. Work makes you meet a lot of people, who you tend to develop a rapport with. Friendship, for me, is when I can connect with a person — it can be a co-star, a director, a stylist, etc.
I don’t have many friends in the industry; I have friends from different walks of life. Having said that, I think it’s not difficult to maintain friendships in Bollywood. There’s great camaraderie between actors these days. It’s not about competition, as competition can also be cut-throat in other professions. It depends on you and your bond with your friend.
It’s surely possible for two people in the profession to be friends. Even though the competition today is cut-throat, as individuals, we are a lot more secure today. There is place for everyone [in the industry]. Having friends in the same field just makes the competition healthier.
It is (real friendships in Bollywood) difficult, but definitely possible. Time and intention are the key factors. You have to have both to cultivate a healthy friendship. Also [for real friendship] the idea of giving needs to be more than expecting. However, a line needs to be drawn somewhere, because I feel that a friend, who is mostly in need, is a friend that is definitely in greed (smiles)!
In spite of being an outsider, I have made some really good friends in the industry. Since our schedules are erratic, we are unable to meet daily. But we are all supportive of each other’s work. When we catch up, we have a really good time.
I strongly feel that it’s possible to have real friends in Bollywood. If you develop a friendship that is beyond a work relationship, it makes for a special bond.

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