Yogendra Tiku shares how side actors don't get their due credit in Bollywood, says 'Role was cut by...'

India.com

03-06-2025

In the world of Bollywood's glitz and glamour, where stardom is measured by screen time, fan-following, and red carpet appearances, moviegoers often become ignorant about the consistency, nuance, and transformative work of supporting actors. Indeed, the side actors who play the pivotal roles of friends, siblings, villains, or comic reliefs are important for the narrative structure of any movie. However, when it comes to name, fame, remuneration, and due credit, these actors often struggle a lot.
Talking about the same, actor Yogendra Tiku, who is known for his roles in movies like No One Killed Jessica, Queen, and Neerja, shared his experience in an exclusive interview with India.com. Tiku, who has been a part of some well-performed films, emphasised and said, 'Badi movies mei due credits nahi milte.'
Yogendra Tiku has been in the industry for more than three decades. He started his career with theatre and has also featured in TV, movies, and now OTTs. When he was asked whether he ever faced a different level of treatment in terms of roles, recognition, and remuneration in any of these three spaces, the actor said, 'Recognition ka mujhe nahi pata, lekin I am always on the lookout for good scripts, good roles, and storylines. I did not do TV much because it was time-consuming. Money doesn't really matter to me. Mujhe role accha mil gaya na toh I am satisfied.'
Talking on the same lines, Yogendra shared one of his experiences when he was called on a movie set, but then, because the lead actor had some other commitments, Yogendra's shoot couldn't take place.
He said, 'See, this is the difference between star-studded systems and movies which don't feature a big name. For them (star-studded movies), the most important person is the actor because on his face value the movie is being made. In these cases, I certainly feel out of place.'
'There was once an incident when I was doing a film. I was asked to come on a certain date and time, and I reached. Later on, I came to know that the lead actor of the movie had to go for some other commitment and it affected my shoot too. It did not feel nice at all.' Yogendra Tiku Talks About Due Credits Not Given to Side Actors
When the actor was asked whether he didn't get his due credit in movies, he replied by saying,
'Once it happened, I was doing a specific role in a specific film. I don't know what happened, but the director, who himself was an actor, felt that my role overshadowed his scenes. Upon watching that, he started cutting my roles from the movie and did different short takings. Aise ke agar mera scene hai and mujhe dialogue bolna hai toh woh camera side se le jaega and mujhe passing mei rakhega. Ya agar mujhe uske sath scene karna hai koi toh camera ka angle aise rakhega jaha mera face dikhe na. Obviously, you feel bad about these things because you know everyone is here for good performance.'
He added, 'See, if you are acting on stage, that has a different meaning compared to on-screen. So hota hai, badi filmon mei due credits nahi milte.'
Coming to Yogendra Tiku's work front, he was recently seen in His Story of Itihaas, which was released on the big screens on May 30, 2025.