After the huge success of Hostages (2019), Hotstar has launched the second season of the well-received series. Amid great anticipation, the twelve-part series premiered yesterday on 9th September on Hotstar.
Hostages Season 2 has a number of new talents, including Divya Dutta, Dino Morea, Shibani Dandekar, and Shweta Basu Prasad. Actors such as Dalip Tahil, Surya Sharma, Aashim Gulati, Anangsha Biswas, and Mohan Kapur from the first season also features on the ensemble cast of the second season.
Though all actors have been praised for their performances, Shibani Dandekar’s villainous act has caught everyone’s attention in particular. “Isha Andrews was so different from anything that I have played before and I thoroughly enjoyed getting into the skin of this character,” says Dandekar about her character.
Shibani Dandekar had never played the antagonist in her career before and hence, she chose to take up the character of Isha Andrews. “She is ruthless, fierce, driven yet inexperienced and that at times can mean her insecurities can seep through. Isha is constantly trying to prove herself and for the most part, knows what she wants and what she is doing until the underlying fear that she has with Ranbir (Dino Morea) comes into play. I have never played the antagonist before and I was so excited to play a different side for a change. It was quite a challenge to balance the softness of Isha with the tough exterior and playing her was a real dream. We have many parts of our personality that are similar in terms of strengths and weaknesses,” she says.
Ask her about her experience of working with the entire cast and crew, and she says, “It was such an incredible experience on set, such a lovely cast that felt like family and the entire unit was so much fun and supportive. When you work in an environment like that, you can really thrive and bring out the best work and hopefully, that shows in what we have done with season 2”.
Helmed by Sudhir Mishra, Hostages 2 is streaming on Hotstar.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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