What is the story about?
Regina Cassandra opened up about her experience of working in Bollywood. The 35-year-old actress, who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films, made
her Hindi debut with 2019 film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, co-starring Sonam Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao. She went on to do more work in Bollywood. Years later, Regina has now looked back at her stint and confessed that she did not get enough work in Mumbai and one of the primary reasons was her coming from the regional film industry. Regina has done several hit movies in the South, including Awe!, Maanagaram, and Jyo Achyutananda.
Regina explains reason behind doing limited Bollywood films
Regina reacted to reason behind doing comparatively pless work in Hindi films, despite being fluent in the language. Though she is now known for popular movies like Sunny Deol starrer Jaat and Kesari Chapter 2 with Akshay Kumar, her initial days in Bollywood weren't how she expected. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the actress cited her being a South Indian performer as the reason behind why Bollywood offered her less work.
Regina perceived as South Indian performer
"I was a South Indian actress. Compared to most South Indians, my Hindi is way better. I can read, write, and speak Hindi, and all the work I have done to date in the language is in my own voice. It's my own Hindi, and I've tried to make sure that, you know, I live up to the role that I've been given" she said.
On facing issues around regional identity and gender
Regina also said people created perceptions about her around her regional identity and gender, which according to her is a major factor in the way actors are cast and treated in Hindi film industry. "A lot of people treated me in a derogatory manner, not just with words, but with actions. It’s sort of a derogatory outlook towards me. And, I mean, anyone would be able to tell that I was being put down in a certain way. I did feel it. So I did have some inhibitions in the North. But, having said that, it’s not always the case, right?" she asked.
Regina refrained from taking names or elaborating on any specific incident. However, she did hint that her unsatisfactory experiences in Bollywood left her hesitant about pursuing more work here.
Regina has appeared in Hindi web shows like Rocket Boys, Farzi and Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke, apart from Tamil OTT series Fingertip and Anya's Tutorial. Her film Mookuthi Amman 2 is currently in production.
