Actor Regena Cassandrra had more than a decade of experience working in Tamil and Telugu before she ventured into Bollywood with the 2019 film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Working in films was only an extracurricular activity for a young Regena, but it soon became a career she never dreamt of. While the actor, who hails from Chennai, tells Hindustan Times that she feels most at home on a film set, she admits it took her ‘some time’ to crack into Bollywood as a South Indian.
Regena Cassandrra reveals facing derogatory behaviour in Bollywood
Regena explains that it took her time to feel at home in the Hindi film industry because she was stereotyped. “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.”
However, the actor says that multiple times she has been made to feel foreign in the industry, just because she’s from the South. “ 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 adds.
Given that Regena has done work like Kesari Chapter 2, Rocket Boys, Farzi, and Jaat over the years, how did she tackle this one? “I’m a very nurturing person, so when I’m around people, I feel like they see that side of me. Irrespective of the industry I’m in, I somehow make it feel like home,” she explains.
Facing stereotypes as a woman in a glamorous world
But it’s not just in Bollywood that Regena feels stereotyped; given how commercial cinema depends on how actors look, particularly women. “I think as a woman in this industry, it’s very easy for us to be stereotyped. I mean, it’s only obvious because it’s a visual medium at the end of the day, and once you see something, it sticks in your head. But I’ve always wanted to be versatile. So, it is very difficult for me to pick and choose my films because I don’t want to always do mainstream commercial films,” says the actor.
The actor was barely 16 when she began acting in films, but now that she’s 35, she says she has learnt to go with the flow. “This might sound very woke, but it’s really not that easy being in this particular industry, and doing the kind of work that I’m doing, to just say, okay, let’s go with the flow for four days and not then question it on day five. I think I am a very chill person. But sometimes in your subconscious, you sort of, like, hold on to things. And, for me, these are the learnings that I count on over the years. I feel like, as a child, I was able to do it easier. Somewhere along the way, I’m unlearning and learning, and the process continues,” she rounds off.
