Archana Puran Singh has said her long-running stint on comedy show The Kapil Sharma Show brought her widespread fame but also came at the cost of her film career.
A veteran of over four decades in Indian cinema, Archana joined the show as a judge in 2019, replacing Navjot Singh Sidhu. While the move revived her popularity, the actress said it limited her availability for film projects.
“I haven’t been able to work in films for all these years. This one time, I got a call. They required me to travel to Scotland for a shoot for 25 days. But it wasn’t possible for me to leave the shoot of Kapil’s show and film elsewhere. Earlier, when the show used to be aired on TV, we would film a hundred episodes a year. That’s the reason I didn’t have time to do anything else. I ended up saying no to a lot of films. And since I’ve said no so many times, people stopped approaching me for acting assignments,” she told News18.
Archana, however, expressed optimism about returning to films following the shift of the comedy show to a seasonal format on streaming platform Netflix under the title The Great Indian Kapil Show.
“Now we shoot for it on a season-to-season basis. As a result, I don’t have the commitment to be in India for the whole year. I can now travel and shoot for other projects. This is why I’m very happy that the show now runs on Netflix,” she said.
The actress is currently promoting her latest film Toaster, which marks her second collaboration with Rajkummar Rao, who has also turned producer with the project. Archana said the opportunity came after working with Rao in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video.
“If didn’t work with him in that film, I may not have been a part of Toaster. And much like how that film gave way to Toaster, I’m hoping that Toaster gives way to at least two more films for me," she said.
Despite a career spanning 44 years, Archana said she continues to be typecast in the industry.
“No matter how much I try, I’m not being able to convince filmmakers. Nobody is offering me roles. They aren’t very convinced that I’m an actor. They still think that I’m somebody who sits on a chair and laughs,” she said.
Archana, who made a mark with her lead role opposite Naseeruddin Shah in Jalwa (1987), later played supporting roles in films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, De Dana Dan, Bol Bachchan and Insan.
