New Delhi, Sept 1 (IANS): Best known for her performance in the film 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na', actress Manjari Fadnnis shared that she dislikes the fact that the industry is giving importance to the number of followers on Instagram, rather than the skill and craft of the actor.

Manjari was first seen on television during the second season of the Indian version of the singing reality show 'Popstars', in 2003. She was one of the participants who made it to the finals for the musical band Aasma. She made her film debut in 2004 with 'Rok Sako To Rok Lo'.

Talking to IANS, Manjari has opened up on the trend that she likes and dislikes in the industry right now.

The 39-year-old actress said: "It is the importance that the industry and everybody in the industry is giving to the number of followers on Instagram. I don't like this trend, the pressure everyone puts on actors to be influencers. We are influencers by default. And being an influencer is not my profession."

"My profession is acting, and I don't want to spend my time and energy creating content for Instagram. I would rather do fun creative things because I enjoy it and not because I have to put it on Instagram and people have to like it," said the 'Mumbai Salsa' fame actress.

"I mean there are castings happening on the basis of how many followers you have on Instagram. I mean seriously. I find that absurd, annoying and I hate it when people tell me 'Manjari you should be more active on Instagram'. I mean I love to put things on Instagram when I feel like, it's not a compulsion for me, I don't want it to become like a job," she shared.

Manjari further said that she thinks it's great for people who enjoy creating content, and it works for them because they enjoy it. "But don't put that pressure on actors, just because they are casting and will see how many followers you have. I don't want to work on projects where they cast you on how many followers you have, rather than your skill and craft as an actor," she shared.

However, the actress said the trend she is really liking is the flourishing of the OTT streaming platforms, and the kind of work that is coming along for everyone. "The fact that the audience has started opening their mind for off beat, out of the box content."

Talking about her showbiz journey, Manjari told IANS, "It has been very fulfilling. but I want to be more fulfilled. I think I have had a good journey so far. There is a lot more I want to do. A lot more I need and want to achieve. I might have been in the industry for so long, but I feel my journey has just begun."

Manjari also shared that she wants to do a full-fledged beautifully written rom-com, which makes everybody smile.

"In the recent past I have been doing really intense hardcore drama, very emotionally challenging roles, and I am really enjoying that as well. But I want to do something good for the soul, something very light hearted, something like a full-fledged beautifully written rom-com, which makes everybody smile," she added.

Currently, Manjari is seen in the riveting thriller series 'The Freelancer' created and written by Neeraj Pandey. She plays the role of Mrunal Kamath. The show also stars Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, Kashmira Pardeshi, and Navneet Malik. It is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.