Key Highlights:

  • Pankit Thakker condemned Rohit Roy's remark calling television a "dustbin medium," calling it ungrateful.
  • He cited Swabhimaan co-stars Manoj Bajpayee and Ashutosh Rana as examples of actors who never disparaged TV despite film success.
  • Thakker referenced Irrfan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan as stars who respected television throughout their careers.
  • He pointed to Rohit's own brother Ronit Roy as an example of an actor who achieved stardom via TV without ever insulting the medium.
  • Thakker called out the irony of criticising TV while appearing in short vertical videos, urging reflection rather than arrogance.

A Second Voice Joins the Backlash

Actor Pankit Thakker has added his voice to the growing criticism of Rohit Roy after the actor described television as a "dustbin medium" and claimed film stars carry a style and class that television actors lack. Speaking to IANS, Thakker, who has previously worked with Rohit, revealed the two share a history dating back to 2000, when they shot a television pilot together produced by Anupam Kher and directed by Raju Kher for the M.A.C. Channel.

A Personal and Professional Rebuke

Thakker, known for his work in shows including "Dill Mill Gayye," "Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant" and "Saru," said he felt genuinely saddened reading Rohit's comments. "There is an unwritten rule in our industry never spit into the plate that gave you your first meal," he said, framing his response around a principle of professional gratitude rather than personal rivalry. He added a pointed redefinition of the term "class" itself: "Class is not about expensive suits or speaking good English in an interview. Class is gratitude. Television gave us our first identity. It put us in every home in this country. How can we forget that?"

Turning Rohit's Own Career Against Him

Thakker directly challenged Rohit by referencing his own breakout show, "Swabhimaan," asking whether Rohit remembered the co-stars who stood alongside him there, Manoj Bajpayee and Ashutosh Rana, both of whom also began their careers in television. "Manoj Sir is a four-time National Award winner today and Ashutosh Sir is one of our most celebrated powerhouse actors. Have you ever heard them call TV a dustbin? Never," Thakker said, using their subsequent critical acclaim as evidence that television origins do not preclude serious artistic recognition later in a career.

Citing Irrfan Khan's Example

Thakker further invoked the late actor Irrfan Khan, noting his early television work on "Banegi Apni Baat," "Chanakya" and "Chandrakanta" before his international film successes in "Life of Pi" and "Jurassic World." "He never called any medium small," Thakker said, positioning Khan as an example of an actor whose global film stardom never came at the expense of acknowledging his television roots.

A Wider List of Television-Respecting Stars

Extending his argument, Thakker pointed to some of Indian cinema's most prominent names as evidence that respect for television cuts across the industry's biggest stars. He noted that Shah Rukh Khan began his career with "Fauji" and "Circus," that Amitabh Bachchan found a career resurgence through "Kaun Banega Crorepati," and that Salman Khan has maintained a television presence for over a decade. He also cited Pankaj Tripathi and Jaideep Ahlawat as actors who "never show arrogance" toward the medium. "If they can respect TV, who are we? Our TV actors and crew work 16 hours a day. That is real class. That is real hard work," he said.

Holding Up Ronit Roy as a Counter-Example

In one of his sharpest observations, Thakker pointed directly to Rohit's own elder brother, actor Ronit Roy, as a model of the dignity he felt Rohit's remarks lacked. "If Rohit wants to see what dignity looks like, he should see his own elder brother Ronit. Ronit became a superstar with Kasautii and Kyunki and then did Udaan and 2 States. But he never insulted TV," Thakker said, adding that this restraint is precisely why "the industry respects him so much."

A Call for Industry-Wide Reflection

Rather than framing his criticism purely as an attack on Rohit, Thakker extended the challenge to himself and his peers as well, questioning what leading film actors, including himself, had actually done in the past decade to justify looking down on television performers. "I am not taunting anyone, I am only asking us to reflect, myself included," he said.

Calling Out a Contradiction

Thakker also highlighted what he saw as an inconsistency in criticising long-form television while participating in short-form digital content. "It is ironic to hear someone talk about big cinema and call long-form TV shows a dustbin, but then go ahead and act in 1-minute vertical videos made for phone apps," he said, arguing that acting itself carries equal value regardless of format, big screen, television, or mobile app content, and that "gratitude makes an actor big," not the medium chosen.

A Final Word on the Audience

Thakker closed his remarks by centring the argument on the audience itself rather than the actors involved. "To call television a dustbin is a direct insult to the millions of hard-working Indian families who invite us into their living rooms every single night," he said, adding that television viewers are discerning rather than passive, and that disrespecting the medium ultimately amounts to disrespecting the very audiences that built these actors' careers in the first place.