Hina Khan:“The Support I’ve Received From My Fraternity Is Overwhelming”

One condescending snobbish tweet from an arrogant entertainment editor has changed not only the course of television actress Hina Khan’s career, it has also brought a radical change at the way television stars are perceived to be second-rate citizens vis-à-vis their bigscreen counterparts.

“This is not so. It was never meant to be two separate worlds.We’re all part of the entertainment industry.And now that I’m doing two films—one of them is a Vikram Bhatt project which I start in October—I will never say ‘never again’ to television. This is the medium where I’ve found fame and success. For me there’s no difference between cinema and television. The two mediums are of equal importance to me,” says Hina from Italy, having just completed a stint at the Cannes film festival where she proved herself a scenestealer.

Hina is ecstatic, “It was an experience I will cherish for a lifetime. I got so much love from everybody, I’ve never felt more desirable. It has always been my desire to be sexy, savvy intelligent and likeable. I think I ticked off all my boxes in Cannes.”

She is specially happy with the treatment she received from Priyanka Chopra Jonas at Cannes. “I was surprised that she even knew me. She was so warm and so hospitable at her party where she invited me. In no time at all, she made feel six feet tall.”

A not-so-happy occurrence was the aforementioned tweet from Filmfare editor Jitesh Pilaai where he wondered if Cannes had become Chandivali Studios in Mumbai.

Sighing and gathering her thoughts together Hina says, “At first when I heard about this I wasn’t sure the dig was at me.Then I checked it out myself . Sure enough, it was me posing on the redcarpet in the picture, and that comment about Chandivali studios accompanying the picture. All I want to ask is, why? He(Pillai) is such a big name among entertainment journalists. And Filmfare is the most prestigious film magazine in Bollywood. It has always been my secret wish to be on the cover of Filmfare.”

Hina says it is time the entertainment media stopped differentiating between television and cinema. “We are part of one fraternity. Please stop creating these artificial walls.Acting on television is no different from acting in the cinema.The support I’ve received from my fraternity is overwhelming.If this incident(the disparaging tweet)has triggered off a debate on the imagined differences between the two mediums, then I’m glad to be at the centre of this attack.”

As Hina prepares for a new innings as an actor on the bigscreen she wants to make sure her fans on television don’t feel deserted. “I am and will always be proud to have done those amazing soaps on television including Kasauti Zindagi Kay.And I’ll be back on television.”