On Koffee With Karan 9, Janhvi Kapoor spoke about the objectification of her character in Peddi. Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Radhika Apte also spoke about her experience working in Telugu cinema and her remarks went viral. Now, actress Regina Cassandra has reacted to Janhvi and Radhika’s comments on south cinema. While she is happy that actresses are opening up, she doesn’t agree with everything being said. In fact, she feels the discussion is slowly creating a North-South divide, which she believes is not right.
In an interview with India Today, Regina spoke about how actors should have the freedom to say no to scenes or walk out of films if they are uncomfortable. She also brought up her own experience with Kesari Chapter 2 and spoke about feeling
left out of the film’s promotions.
Regina Cassandra Says Actors Can Walk Out Of Films
Regina feels that actors should speak up when something doesn’t feel right. She believes they should not feel helpless or think they have no option but to go along with everything.
Talking about Janhvi and Radhika, she said that if an actor is uncomfortable with a scene or a role, they can choose to leave the project.
“At the end of the day, it is in an actor’s hands. If you feel uncomfortable, please walk out of the film. I don’t think we should put ourselves in a position where we say we had no choice. And this is not about men or women. I am saying this as an outsider, as a third person who does not want to take sides. Of course, as a woman, I will always support a woman. But I don’t think either Janhvi or Radhika is in a position where they should feel they couldn’t make a decision. You can walk out of a film,” she said.
‘You’re Creating A North-South Divide’
Regina said she has a problem when actors from the Hindi film industry speak about South cinema in a way that could create a divide.
“I am glad they are talking about it. But the problem is that when a North Indian actor talks about South cinema like that, I have a big problem with it. You cannot do that. You are making a North-South divide without even realising it, and that is absolutely wrong. There are different ways of handling these issues and different ways of talking about them. There is already a North-South divide, and I say this as a South Indian actor who works in the Hindi film industry,” she said.
Regina Recalls Her Experience With Kesari Chapter 2
Regina also brought up her own experience with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. She played Akshay Kumar’s wife in Kesari Chapter 2, but claimed that she was not given much importance during the film’s promotions.
She said that despite being part of the film, her name was missing from the promotional activities. Regina also mentioned that a song featuring her throughout was released, but she wasn’t tagged or even informed about it.
“Janhvi Kapoor has spoken about being objectified and feeling that she did not have a voice or a chance to say no. But the same Karan Johar, through Dharma Productions, made a film with me called Kesari Chapter 2 and decided not to promote me. Now, what am I supposed to call that? Is that objectification because I am a South Indian? To this day, I don’t know why my name was not included,” she said.
She added that she usually doesn’t like talking about such things publicly, but felt she should share her experience since the industry was already discussing the issue.
What Did Janhvi Kapoor And Radhika Apte Say?
For those who missed the earlier conversations, Janhvi Kapoor spoke about the Peddi controversy during her appearance on Koffee With Karan with Varun Dhawan.
She admitted that she should have raised her concerns more strongly.
“The reason I was so apprehensive to talk about it was that many people worked hard on that film, and I really didn’t know what to say or if there was anything really to even say because it’s important that I take ownership from my half of…whatever that fiasco was because it weighs heavily on my conscience the sort of negative impact and a narrative like that can have on our society, specific to my gender. I think that shame I will always carry with me. Could have I done more? Could have I been more vigilant? Could have I made a bigger scene? A hundred percent, yes. Was it problematic? Was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate sexual assault narratively? Yes,” she said.
Radhika Apte, meanwhile, recently spoke about her experience of working in a Telugu film where she played a woman married to her maternal uncle. She also spoke about being paired opposite a much older actor.
“There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my Mama (maternal uncle) in the film. It was the most challenging film. I hated everything about it,” the actress told Zoom.
“I also had to romance a much older actor. It was a very patriarchal situation and place, and for me that was the toughest thing. And then I die in the middle of it. He had to throw me (gestures over his shoulder) and then do action. I was like, ‘When am I going to die?'” she said.
Radhika did not name the film, but many viewers speculated that she was referring to Boyapati Srinu’s 2014 film Legend, which starred Nandamuri Balakrishna.
