Mumbai: At a time when the 'outsiders versus insiders' debate is at an all-time high, actor Vikrant Massey said it feels "incredible" when filmmakers write a part keeping him in mind.
In the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, many from the film industry have opened up about the struggle of surviving in Bollywood.
"While doing television, I had seen this thing and a lot of people had made me aware about it. I knew it would take ten to 11 years for me to re-establish myself in film. I was willing to do it because I know I possess something which is unique and it is being recognised."
"It is a paradoxical situation today, nepotism is there but ultimately, survival is because of talent," Massey told PTI in an interview.
The 33-year-old actor was at the pinnacle of his career when he switched from TV to films, a move he described as a "well-thought-out" one.
"I was doing TV from the age of 17... compromised on my college attendance, did distant education, the reason for all of it was money. After working in TV for 10 years I felt I had earned a lot of money... it was a big decision to quit TV," he said.
He may have started off by playing roles easy to be branded as 'supporting characters' in films, but the actor had his shining moments as the vulnerable Shutu in Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut A Death in the Gunj, the reluctant gangster Bablu in Mirzapur and the murder accused Aditya in Criminal Justice.
Massey said an insider may get "head start," but eventually talent is the driving force.
"How much ever influential a person or whoever's son or nephew one maybe, you will survive only if you deliver. Because of this entire structure, my focus has always been on delivering my best performance," the actor added.