Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh has recently opened up about the hurdles he faced in the industry after starting his career in 2007 with ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. Neil, who got his breakthrough with Kabir Khan’s ‘New York’, admitted that the industry has treated him unfairly. He also shared that while some stars continued to get films back-to-back despite multiple flops, he was written off by industry insiders after just a few box office setbacks.Neil Nitin Mukesh about ‘unfair’ practices in industry
In a conversation on Varinder Chawla’s YouTube channel, Neil reflected on how box office results dictate an actor’s journey. According to him, critical acclaim is often dismissed if the numbers don’t impress. He pointed out that even playing a pivotal role in a high-profile project doesn’t necessarily benefit supporting actors—unless they’re already established stars. He shared that if a film flops, everyone involved faces the backlash. He called the trend ‘unfair’. Notably, he had a major hit with ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, starring Salman Khan.Neil also shared his thoughts on the team effort behind his early success, ‘New York’. The film also starred John Abraham and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. “Like New York, it’s not just John’s, mine, or Katrina’s film. It doesn’t belong solely to Kabir Khan—it’s a collaborative effort. Everyone has put in hard work. All the actors—Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui—it belongs to everyone.”Neil opens up about big stars getting big projects after flop filmsNeil believes that some stars continue to land big-budget films despite repeated commercial failures. He remarked, “I’ve seen a lot of big actors deliver flops, but they keep getting opportunities. But for us, if there are two flops in a row, they say, ‘You should stay at home now.’ That’s the only unfair bit. Didn’t he just give 10 flops? Yet you give him his 11th Rs 100 crore film to make a comeback. But here, if two films underperform, they say the career is over. What do you mean, ‘career is over’? Even if the films didn’t do well, and you were praised for your work, people are ready to write you off almost instantly—and they seem to take pleasure in it.”
