Avika Gor On Designers Refusing To Dress TV Stars And Her Own Cannes Experience

She will be seen next in the Bollywood film 1920: Horrors of the Heart

Actress Avika Gor is an extremely popular name in the world of entertainment. The actress has featured in several successful TV shows and films over the years. Now, in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Avika Gor reflected on her journey in films and television. During the interaction, Avika Gor said that TV actors are often looked down upon even within the entertainment industry. Referring to actress Hina Khan's statements about designers refusing to dress her for events and film festivals on account of being a TV star, Avika said that she has faced similar rejections. “I have heard these things and when I read about it [Hina Khan's statement], I realised that ‘Ok, thank god, it is not just me.' I thought there will be a time when people start talking about this and kudos to Hina Khan and so many such actresses. You need guts to do this.” 

For context, Hina Khan shared how she was refused clothes by Indian designers as she was not a movie star. In an interaction with Pinkvilla in 2020, she said, "And in India, it is different. I don't want to name the designer, though now, it is different like I am doing films and I have appearances, still there is a difference. People, all these big designers in India still look down upon TV. ‘What, kisko dena hai? Oh, we don't do TV!' They won't give it to you. Trust me, that divide is there."

Citing an example, Avika Gor recounted her Cannes film festival experience. “When I was going to the Cannes film festival, I was the youngest Indian to be there that year. This was my second time, so it was already a big deal. For some reason, the designers didn't see it that way. But I figured out something prettier than what they were offering,” adding that she attended the festival in a gown worn by a local designer. 

In the same interview, Avika Gor –  who has worked in several Telugu films – also touched upon the subject of nepotism in the south Indian film industries. She said, “See when it comes to star power, South is all about star power. When it comes about nepotism, the word that we all are tired of hearing... The South is all about nepotism. Things are pretty much the same. It is just that audiences are not choosing to see it there the way they are seeing it here… There is a bias against Bollywood and Hindi films that has developed over time that we will judge whatever they make. There was a phase when a lot of South films were remade here[Bollywood', so people thought we only copy films."