Actor Samir Soni started his career with the Hindi television show Samandar. He made his Bollywood debut with China Gate, alongside Om Puri, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Danny Denzongpa. The actor went on to star in films such as Baghban and Kahan Ho Tum. The 53-year-old actor’s latest release is MX Player’s Anamika, which also features Sunny Leone and Sonnalli Seygall in pivotal roles. Samir has experience working in daily soaps, films, and web shows too. In a recent interview with News18.com, the 53-year-old actor opened up about women leading the shows on digital platforms, emphasized that content is the king, and confessed that commercial cinema is still a bit biased.
With Samir’s latest outing Anamika featuring a woman taking the lead, we asked him if he thinks the OTT space has worked as a platform to show women in powerful avatars. The actor explained, “Women-centric films and TV serials are made, but to show women in the kind of character where they are physically strong, and the characters that are typically thought of as a man thing, that is still coming up. I think the moment when you do anything convincingly, it will be accepted. It is no longer the time that women can do this and can’t do that. It is a clear thing that if the project does well, whether the main lead is a man or a woman, it doesn’t matter. In OTT, content is the king. Whatever content you are presenting, if that is powerful, the main protagonist is a girl or a boy doesn’t matter.”
Giving examples of Raveena Tandon’s show Aranyak and Madhuri Dixit’s The Fame Game, he added, “Raveena is doing stuff, Madhuri is also doing stuff in web shows. I agree that commercial cinema is a bit biased, yet, but, in OTT this is not the case. And in daily soaps, it was never the case. Till now I can’t think of a serial that has been named after a male character. So, now people can’t complain. In terms of films, yes people have the right to complain a bit. But in the end, it is a simple business, and if your one female-oriented film makes 300 – 400 crores, more than half of the industry will make the same thing, because they say that this is a hit formula, we should make it.”
Samir, who was last seen in the reality show The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Housewives along with wife Neelam Kothari, dished on how he felt about sharing his personal life on screen.
The actor shared that since he has been a part of reality show Bigg Boss it wasn’t difficult for him, however, his wife Neelam was skeptical about doing the show. He said, “It was okay. The ones who know me know that I’d be as authentic as the real as possible. I never projected myself more than what I am. I have no misgivings. I have done a reality show like Bigg Boss. I think Neelam was more nervous than I was. I’d advised her saying ‘Don’t worry. Just be yourself and you will be okay.’ She was very nervous because she was coming back in front of the camera after 20 years.”
Sharing that he convinced Neelam to do the show, Samir added, “I was the one who was after her. She was discussing the show with me for one year. During the discussions about the show, she would say, but what people will think, they remember me like I used to be 20 years back, but now I have changed. I convinced her by saying that this is a good opportunity because you are with your family and friends, you will be more comfortable. So I think you should do it. I’m glad I pushed her and she did it, because the response she has got is phenomenal. We just finished shooting the second season and it will be aired soon.”
Samir Soni is starring in the web series Anamika which released on March 10. The show is a spy thriller and also stars Sunny Leone, Sonnalli Seygall, Rahul Dev, Shehzad Shaikh, and Ayaz Khan. Anamika is directed by Vikram Bhatt.
