Shekhar Suman Says Bollywood Filmmakers Today Are 'Plagiarists'

Shekhar

Suman is not the kind of man who minces his words. The 62-year-old actor, who has spent four decades straddling films, television and talk shows, sat down for a candid conversation recently and delivered one of the most refreshingly honest takes on the state of Hindi cinema that you are likely to hear from someone who has lived it from the inside. From a wide-eyed 21-year-old stepping off a train in Bombay in 1983 to becoming one of the most recognisable faces on Indian television, Suman's journey has been anything but ordinary. And with his new YouTube talk show Shekhar Tonite now streaming, the veteran clearly has no intention of fading into the background anytime soon.

Fifteen Days In Bombay And He Was Already Opposite Rekha

Shekhar Suman's entry into the film industry reads almost like fiction. He had barely settled into Bombay when, within just 15 days of arriving, he was cast as the lead opposite Rekha in Girish Karnad's arthouse film Utsav, alongside Shashi Kapoor, Amjad Khan, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta. He has since credited the moment entirely to destiny, saying he believes an actor simply has to be in the right place at the right time. Films like Nache Mayuri, Sansar and Tridev followed, before the 90s brought a shift in tide.

As film roles began drying up, Suman pivoted to television and found an entirely new audience. Dekh Bhai Dekh and Reporter were both massive hits, and he has spoken about attributing those breaks too to fate, questioning why Jaya Bachchan would have chosen him for Dekh Bhai Dekh or Vinod Pandey for Reporter if not for destiny. Movers & Shakers then made him a household name as the host of arguably India's first Hindi late-night talk show. After a long gap from fiction, he made a well-received return with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi in 2024 and has kept himself busy with new projects since.

'Plagiarists, Not Original Thinkers'

It is on the subject of today's filmmaking that Shekhar Suman gets most animated. Having observed the industry across four decades, he argued that while Hindi cinema has technically become world-class, it has traded originality for safety. He pointed to directors being driven by financial pressure into chasing proven formulas, and actors getting so locked into their public image that genuine creative risk has become a rarity. His harshest words were reserved for the new generation of filmmakers, whom he described as plagiarists rather than original thinkers, drawing a sharp contrast with the giants of Indian cinema's golden era — K Asif, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor — whose films he said have endured for 60 to 70 years because they were built on pure originality. Mughal-E-Azam still gives him goosebumps, he said. Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa and Mera Naam Joker are classics for a reason. His message to the industry was clear — go back to your roots and stop borrowing what someone else already created.

Shekhar Tonite Is Already Streaming And The Lineup Is Worth The Attention

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Away from the debate, Shekhar Suman is firmly focused on what is next. Shekhar Tonite, his new weekly talk show on YouTube, began streaming recently with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as its first guest. The episodes ahead are shaping up to be equally engaging, with Bobby Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Ali Fazal and Farah Khan among the confirmed names. For someone who helped define the Hindi talk show format three decades ago, this feels like a natural and long-overdue return to that space.