Pankit Thakker Slams Rohit Roy's 'Dustbin Medium' Remark

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.