Former film journalist and Dharma Cornerstone Agency’s COO (Chief Operating Officer) Rajeev Masand recently spoke about transitioning from journalism to working in films, and how he believes actors lack objectivity when it comes to introspecting about themselves. During a conversation with Cyrus Broacha, Rajeev shared his experiences in artist management and also recalled a time when he went beyond his job profile and broke up with an actress’s boyfriend on her behalf.

‘I had to go and break up with an actress’s boyfriend’

In 2021, Rajeev Masand was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer at Dharma Cornerstone Agency, which represents some leading artists in the country. During a recent podcast with Cyrus Broacha, Rajeev recalled that in the first year of his job, there was something he had to do that went beyond his job description. “I remember having this out-of-body experience one time. I was new to the job, first year in artist management. There was a female actor we represented; I had to go break up with her boyfriend for her,” Rajeev recalled.

 

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He further said, “I remember thinking, that’s not my job, but I had to do it. I was sitting in a room waiting for the gentleman to come in and thinking… It’s not a job description that you have to do these things. But when you are invested in someone’s career and life, it’s a thin line. As an agent, in the best kind of relationships you are so deeply invested in their lives that you’ll go that extra mile. But I remember thinking, ‘This is not my job role; I have never since done anything of the like.'”

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Rajeev Masand calls actors ‘delusional’

The former journalist also shared his views on how actors are not objective about themselves. He said, “I always like to remind myself that I am not a part of this; I still have that imposter syndrome. I don’t really belong here. It’s important to not get carried away, and I think that’s what the problem with all the actors and superstars also is. They buy into the myth; you have to be able to dissociate.”

He added, “The biggest problem I think with actors is the level of delusion. It is so interesting when you sit and listen to actors talk about other actors or other people; there is great objectivity, but when it comes to themselves there is no objectivity. All of us like to think we know where we really are in life, and we can be objective about ourselves.”

In the same podcast, Rajeev also spoke about Kangana Ranaut and said, “I miss Kangana the actor. She’s just a joke now. Let’s just face it — Bollywood respects success. A lot of people have had it hard in the beginning, but once you’re successful…, every time she made a film because it was a great film to make, she was great in it. But since then, it’s been a little about the Kangana show.”