TV Actors Want Their Names To Appear In The Show Credits Now

Earlier the actors used to be credited for their contribution to the TV shows but for a long time now, the actors are not recognised. A notion of the screen names being popular is the trend and the makers think that in case the real names come out the viewers will have a difficulty in relating with the character and hence their names are not included in the credits of the serial. But now the actors are not quite happy with the idea. They now want their names to appear in the credits of their television shows and why not? They are individuals in their own right and they have the right to their own individuality. Actor Shashank Vyas was the first actor to raise this issue. Desimartini got in touch with him and some of the other actors inthe TV space to speak to them about this issue  - 

Shashank Vyas - I noticed this like 3-4 months back when I was watching something on television. I was reading the credits part and suddenly I saw the closeup and I wondered why actors’ names are not part of it. I spoke about this to every actor who is working on television. Actors are working rigorously for 13-14 hours a day and meeting the deadlines of the telecast on a daily basis, and their names are not been mentioned. Why has this question has not been raised till now? It's true and it's not wrong also. When people know you by your character, this means that you have done justice to your character and you have given best of your efforts to play the role. I have done a big show and I am working in this industry, so people know my name. People also know Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan’s names but their names are also mentioned in the credits of their films. But why is it that this is not happening on television. People are recognising us by our character, which is fine, but our real names are important for the long run. The character name will exist until the existence of the show. When the show is big, people will remember the name for 6-8 months. But if the show doesn't work, then the name will not be known.

Shrenu Parikh - Yes, the names used to come initially. If that happens again, it would be really nice as there are times people don’t know how to use social media and stuff, so they don't get to know what is the name of a particular character.

Vijayendra Kumeria - This issue needs to be addressed. We actors play a character in a show and if the show and the character becomes popular, people start recognising us by the name of the character. But every actor has chosen this industry to make a mark, be known and famous. It is also a question of a person’s identity.

Adhvik Mahajan - A point very well raised by Shashank. It was not even in my mind as we TV actors have become used to this. Being the face of a show, we get so much love, attention and respect from our fans that I never bothered about my real name not being mentioned in the credits. But the fact remains that apart from very few names, most of us actors are recognised by our character/screen names which also are forgotten after a while since TV audience memory is very short lived as there are so many shows coming on air and going off air. Also, the number of actors are growing on a daily basis. So, if the names of actors are mentioned in credits of the show, it will further help us establish our individual identity as an actor.

Shivin Narang - Actors are recognised by the character name. For me, this is overwhelming an achievement because my work is appreciated. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me and I have seen a lot of TV shows, films, web series, only the character stays with you. Talking about the credit titles, yes, I feel it should be there as a sign of respect to the actors’ contributions.