Barkha Singh has responded to the growing perception that actors with a strong social media presence land roles because of their follower count rather than their talent. With more than 2.6 million followers on Instagram, the actress says her digital popularity has often worked in her favour but has also led to assumptions that overlook the years she spent building her acting career. As she gears up for the release of Bhai Tera Star Hai, Barkha is setting the record straight about how her journey actually began.
The actress believes one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding her career is that she became an actor after gaining popularity online. According to Barkha, the reality is exactly the opposite. She says acting came first, while social media recognition followed naturally as audiences connected with the characters she portrayed in several successful youth-oriented shows.
Barkha Singh Says Acting Came Before Instagram Fame
Reflecting on the early days of her career, Barkha revealed that she did not even have an Instagram account when she started working in television. She credits the popularity of her performances in projects such as MTV Girls on Top, TVF’s Engineering Girls and Dice Media’s Please Find Attached for helping her build a large online audience over time.
“I started my journey as an actor. And when I started with ‘MTV Girls on Top,’ I didn’t even have an Instagram account. Most of my Instagram followers have come from the three shows I’ve done – ‘MTV Girls on Top,’ TVF’s ‘Engineering Girls,’ and Dice Media’s ‘Please Find Attached.’ These are the shows that got me social media following because I have never really been a beauty or fashion creator. I didn’t even know what content creation was. There is a common misconception in the industry that I am a creator-turned-actor. The truth is, I’ve actually always been an actor who got a social media following because of the shows that I did.”
Barkha pointed out that people often assume she built her career through content creation, even though she has been acting for years. She believes that misunderstanding continues to shape how some people within the industry view her work.
She Opens Up About Facing Casting Criticism
The actress admitted that having millions of followers has also invited criticism from people who believe her popularity is the only reason she gets cast. Barkha said she has often heard comments suggesting that filmmakers choose her because of her social media numbers instead of her acting abilities. While she understands why such opinions exist, she feels the situation is similar to the scrutiny faced by star kids, who are also expected to constantly prove themselves.
“People often say that I get cast because of my social media following. People think I don’t know how to act and makers are only casting me for my (social media) numbers. You know how people speak about nepo kids? They speak like that about people who have social media following. But a doctor’s kid will be a doctor only. Similarly, an actor’s kid will be an actor. However, they have to prove themselves because they have so many eyes on them. So likewise, it also happens with people who have good social media following.”
Barkha reiterated that her career started long before she became popular online. She once again emphasized that social media is simply a result of the work she has done as an actor rather than the foundation of her career.
“I’d like to clarify that I started my journey off as an actor with ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’ (2002) and ‘Bhagyalaxmi’ (2015). The good following is just a byproduct of the shows I did.”
Why Bhai Tera Star Hai Felt Like The Right Choice
The actress is now preparing for the release of Bhai Tera Star Hai, in which she stars opposite Raghav Juyal. Speaking about how she joined the project, Barkha revealed that she was the final actor to come on board. Director Vivek B. Agrawal approached her shortly before filming was scheduled to begin in London, giving her only a brief window to decide whether she wanted to be part of the film.
“I was the last person to be cast in the movie. One fine day, director Vivek B. Agrawal called me and told me that he had a character written. He also gave me some time to make up my mind. They were going to shoot in London in another 10 days.”
What ultimately convinced Barkha to say yes was the opportunity to play Laila, a character she believes many women will relate to. She described the role as emotionally strong and welcomed the chance to return to a romantic story after appearing in projects such as Criminal Justice and Masaba Masaba, where romance was not a central part of her character arcs.
“I fell in love with Laila, my character. I don’t know whether I am being biased, but she felt relatable. She is someone who has the strength to endure things. This was also my way of coming back to the romance genre. I had done ‘Criminal Justice’ (2019) and ‘Masaba Masaba’ (2020) before. These projects didn’t really have romance for me to explore. All the other characters I’d done off late were all de-glammed, with zero makeup. The looks were low-key corporate. I’m back with a full glam avatar in this.”
As Bhai Tera Star Hai heads toward release, Barkha Singh hopes audiences judge her by the performances she delivers rather than the numbers attached to her social media profiles. For the actress, the online following is a consequence of years spent working in front of the camera, not the reason she stands there today.
