Archana Puran Singh, a veteran of Indian cinema for over four decades, recently opened up about the bittersweet impact of her television success. While her stint on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show‘ made her a household name globally, the actress candidly shared that it effectively halted her film career.
Impact of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ on Archana Puran Singh’s career
Joining The Kapil Sharma Show as a judge in 2019 in place of Navjot Singh Sidhu revived Archana’s fame, though she claims it stalled her movie work. She told News18, she says, “I haven’t been able to work in films for all these years. This one time, I got a call. They required me to travel to Scotland for a shoot for 25 days. But it wasn’t possible for me to leave the shoot of Kapil’s show and film elsewhere. Earlier, when the show used to be aired on TV, we would film a hundred episodes a year. That’s the reason I didn’t have time to anything else. I ended up saying no to a lot of films. And since I’ve said no so many times, people stopped approaching me for acting assignments.”
With ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ now streaming on Netflix, Archana is optimistic about a career revival. “Now we shoot for it on a season-to-season basis. As a result, I don’t have the commitment to be in India for the whole year. I can now travel and shoot for other projects. This is why I’m very happy that the show now runs on Netflix,” Archana states.
Archana Puran Singh’s role in ‘Toaster’
Recently, Archana took on a humorous yet key role in ‘Toaster’, her second outing with Rajkummar Rao, who debuted as producer on the project. In her own words, ‘Toaster’ wouldn’t have materialized without their initial collaboration in ‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’. “Rajkummar saw my work in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video. That was the first that he and I was in a relationship of being colleagues. And that’s how Toaster happened. If didn’t work with him in that film, I may not have been a part of Toaster. And much like how that film gave way to Toaster, I’m hoping that Toaster gives way to at least two more films for me,” she says.
Archana Puran Singh on getting typecast
Despite her 44-year film career, Archana feels held back by being dismissed as just the laughter queen and not a serious talent. “No matter how much I try, I’m not being able to convince filmmakers. Nobody is offering me roles. They aren’t very convinced that I’m an actor. They still think that I’m somebody who sits on a chair and laughs,” she regrets.On the work front, Archana Puran Singh is on a promotional spree for her latest Netflix film ‘Toaster’ alongside Sanya Malhotra and Rajkummar Rao. Archana Puran Singh grabbed eyeballs with her lead role opposite Naseeruddin Shah in ‘Jalwa’ (1987), after which she moved to supporting parts. She has also featured in item songs for films like ‘Baaz’ and ‘Judge Mujrim’, while her comic roles in ‘Insan’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘De Dana Dan’, and ‘Bol Bachchan’ often led to typecasting.