TV offers more scope to older actor than films: Neena Kulkarni

Veteran actress Neena Kulkarni says television does not stereotype older actors and gives them more scope to perform than movies.
Kulkarni, who plays the character of Mrs Iyer on daily soap 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein', has juggled between theatre, films and TV for almost 30 years. She feels TV is no more a poor cousin of films and with its wide reach has pulled actors towards it.
"TV offers better scope to veteran actors. We get a lot of different characters to play, we are not stereotyped on small screen unlike in films where we get the same type of roles. TV is a great place for character actors.

"Earlier TV wasn't considered good, it was said that if you are becoming flop you turn to TV but now so many actors are coming to the small screen. It gives longevity to you as the serials run for a long period," Kulkarni told PTI.
The actress, who has previously been a part of TV serials like 'Kayamath' and 'Baa Bahoo Aur Baby', says even though small screen is TRP driven, the importance each character gets on a show is huge and people connect to TV actors instantly.
"I play a supporting character on 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein' but the love I get is immense. People love my role and praise me so much on social media. TV brings fans closer to their actors. The importance actors like us get on TV is not usually found in films," she said.

Kulkarni says she enjoys being a part of daily soaps as they suit the taste of Indian audience.

"Many pan TV soaps but I feel that is what viewers really want. They want their daily dose of entertainment and content on TV has improved so there are better authentic daily serials now. I don't feel we can take away soap operas from TV totally," the actress said.
While choosing TV shows, she looks for her her role but in movies she goes for directors and the set up.
"Stories in films are usually about the hero and heroine, there are less films nowadays which have families of lead characters, so we get limited roles, that's why I go for how big a film is and what kind of director I am working with," the actress said.