After 350 Films, Dostana’s Kanwarjit Paintal Says He’s Not An Actor: ‘I Don’t Have Instagram Followers’

Veteran actor Kanwarjit Paintal, remembered for films like Satte Pe Satta, Bawarchi and Dostana, is back in the spotlight – but not for a new role. A short, sarcastic video in which he refuses to call himself an actor has gone viral, making fans laugh while also highlighting how much cinema has changed. In it, he jokes that he is “not an actor” because he does not have followers on Instagram, turning a simple line into a sharp comment on today’s obsession with social‑media fame.

Kanwarjit Patel’s Viral Clip

In the video, shot casually on the sets of the film Hukus Bukus in 2023, actor Manmeet Singh asks Kanwarjit Paintal, “Are you an actor?” Paintal replies, “No.” When Singh points out that the audience has seen his work, Paintal answers, “I don’t have followers on Instagram. Hence, I am not an actor!” His calm tone and straight‑faced delivery leave Singh briefly speechless, and then laughing at the irony. Painting himself as “not an actor” in an age when followers often matter more than craft, Paintal adds, “And also lots of followers!” making the joke land even harder.

ALSO READ | Taylor Swift Vienna Shows Cancelled After Foiled Terror Plot, Suspect Pleads Guilty

A 50‑Year Career With A Twist

The humour hits harder because Paintal has actually worked in over 350 films across more than 50 years. He is known for comic roles in classics like Satte Pe Satta and Bawarchi, as well as TV shows such as Anupamaa and Mahabharat on Doordarshan, where he played Shikhandi. “I don’t have Instagram followers, hence I am not an actor,” he says in the clip, but in reality, his face is familiar to generations of viewers who grew up watching his films and serials.

ALSO READ | ‘Don’t Zoom Too Much,’ Karisma Kapoor To Paps In Viral Video | WATCH

 A Dig At The New Age  

Manmeet Singh later told Bollywood Hungama that the clip was a spontaneous, unplanned moment between takes. “They absolutely don’t,” Paintal says when Singh wonders if actors without followers are not considered real actors, underlining the satire. Commentators have pointed out that his line is a “sharp dig” at how casting today often stresses social‑media numbers more than experience. For many, Paintal’s mock‑serious denial of being an actor is less about ego and more about asking a simple question: in today’s world, does talent count as much as followers?