Competitor or friend? Celebs reveal deepest secrets about friendship in showbiz

Friendship is the rarest thing in a world that survives in fierce competition. Genuine friendships are almost hard to come by in the entertainment industry, where stars are only as good as their last film. In an industry where crores often ride on your back, you have to make each association or bonding count than just talk your heart out with those who you call friends. Tollywood is well aware of it. Yet there are some bonds that are destined to survive the taste of time, though these bonds often are strictly professional. Our Tollywood celebs reveal such bittersweet moments when long-lasting friendships were forged or things just went sour. Check out what they have to say.

According to Dev, making friends when you are not successful is not so tough. But once you have tasted success, people often become apprehensive. "In my difficult times, I was shocked to see the help from some unexpected quarters. Sadly, people whom I used to think my friends just vanished from the scene! They, moreover, were jeering at my plight. The friendships that you now see on social media are nothing but superficial. Tell me, do you really have to show off your friendship? Socialising and partying is quite common as people look for fodder for gossip and often flaunt closeness to stars. But all they do in reality is backstab later. I would say it's my school friends who are my real friends. With them I can spend hours as Deepak Adhikari and not be judged," he reveals.

Raima's friends are mostly from outside the industry and she likes to keep it that way. "I am cordial with my colleagues from Tollywood and Bollywood. I party with them, I chill out, but when it comes to sharing deep feelings, it is a strict no-no. You can never be sure if they'll turn it into gossip or not. With school friends I can let my guard down and just express myself. `Friend' is too strong a word and too big a responsibility to expect from the professional world," said raima.

"Over the years, I’ve had experiences that led me to believe that one can have healthy, cordial relationships but not friends at the workplace," that's what Nussrat has realized in all these years. She adds while speaking about friendship, "I believe friends shouldn’t judge you. You expect them to be there through thick and thin. Not just in this industry, but whenever I have faced any issue in life, my so-called friends have been the first to run away and judge. I’m not questioning the word ‘friendship’, but perhaps, I am not blessed to have true friends. The ones who have indeed been there for me through good and bad times are my family and husband."

When asked if friendship is possible in the industry the 'Deep Fridge' actor shares, "It’s not like that colleagues can’t be friends, but frankly speaking I have never tried to find best friends in the industry. Although I definitely have a few close friends from my modelling days."

Can colleagues at work be friends? That's what Arpita wants to ask. "I would like to ask this to all the professionals out there. I think the answer to the question lies there. The word friendship is often used casually these days. It’s a very deep relationship and finding a true friend is not an easy job," explains the actor.

The dashing actor thinks he is not in the showbiz to increase his friend list. "I am here to earn my bread and butter and work is like worship for me. Generally I don’t like to make friends in the industry as it hampers my focus on work. See, we all are competitors and we have to face the truth. But yes, there are certain bonds that I have enjoyed over the years with people who have stayed beside me," that's what Yash believes.