Raw, real and righteous — three words that came to mind as Regina Cassandra spoke to us for over an hour, despite a throat allergy. Going out of her way and doing good for others, you see, comes naturally to her. In a candid conversation, the 32-year-old pan-Indian star tells us that she owes her upbringing for the motivation to get involved in charity work at a very young age.
As a child, she saw herself serving as an army doctor and during her college life, she wanted to become a counselling psychologist. And despite choosing acting as her path, she never let go of her inclination towards volunteering. Best known for playing progressive roles in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films, the actress recently joined as co-founder of the Democratic Sangha in Hyderabad.
Going by the proverb, “you educate a woman, you educate a house,” Regina believes she can be more involved in women’s issues now that she has joined the non-partisan people’s collective. After a succesful stints in films like Evaru, Awe and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and with three releases expected soon, Regina is now officially a philanthropist — a word she thinks gets more credit than it deserves. During our chat, the star spoke about her latest venture and the pay disparity in the industry and also opened up about what it meant to break the glass ceiling.
Tell us what inspired you to take up the role of a philanthropist?
The word philanthropist really does sound very fancy. However, I feel that anything to do with altruism should not sound like it’s larger than life. My mother instilled the quality of service in me growing up. I think it’s just been a part of my upbringing. I have grown up with the understanding that if you have the ability to help somebody, you should go ahead and do it. And I think it comes from that very basic thought. As I grew older, I realised that I have more to give. I now have the ability to lend more than just finances; I can do things on a bigger scale.
Do you think your education in psychology helps you understand the issues pertaining to rural women?
Very interesting question. See, I believe, women are always willing to learn. They are always willing to put themselves out there and take on the role of educator and leader but they are not given the opportunity. As women we are born to nurture; it is a part of our body makeup. But when you are made to feel like that’s all you can and should do, that’s where the problem lies. With my background in psychology, what I have learned is to make sure that women understand how empowering it is to be a woman. I think the entire family’s psychology itself depends on the women in the family.
With trolling on social media, do you ever feel the need to filter yourself on feminist issues?
First of all, social media is a gateway to opinion and it’s really nice to have an opinion. But the thing with an opinion on social media is that people hide behind anonymity and then they just forget about how they can actually be constructive. I have had people morphing my face onto different images and actually sending it out to me. They can see that I have seen it. Today, it is so easy to get to somebody without your identity even being questioned. Has it affected me in a way? Yes. Has the person’s objective been achieved? Yes. I have had stalkers in the past, so trolls are nothing for me. For me, unless the milk is really spilling over, I am not worried. I am not someone that just jumps the gun and makes decisions. I feel like I have a fairly decent understanding of myself and I have spent the last 15 years trying to find myself and my purpose.
Pay disparity is not uncommon in the industry. What is your take on that?
I look at it from a bird’s eye view; from a macro level. Pay disparity has happened and is happening in every field of life. You have the biggest tennis stars talking about it. It’s a prevalent conversation in every field. A journalist once put out a statement of mine saying how a heroine’s market value is only based on the superstars that she actually is acting with and I believe in that because I have seen it happen. I was reading some of the comments on that tweet and someone said, “first bring the audiences to the theatres and then you can talk.” And in all honesty, that person is right. But you know, it’s not that simple. Pay disparity is probably one of the many things that women would have to face in any industry that is predominantly male-dominated but you also need women to carry it forward.
You have played progressive, unconventional characters on screen. Is it safe to say you bring some sense of self to all of them?
Firstly, I am very grateful for the fact that people see me as fit enough to play a role like that because then I know that the filmmakers see me as able enough to do the job and see me in that light. For me, that is a battle half won. It also gives me a certain level of understanding of what people perceive me as. It’s a symbiotic relationship. It’s a back-and-forth thing; it’s not just what I am doing, it’s also how people are perceiving it and then how it comes back to me like a boomerang. But then yes, as an actor, I will never judge my character.
Whom do you think has been successful in breaking the glass ceiling in the entertainment industry?
I would like to say that it is not that difficult to break the glass ceiling. What is challenging is how you do it and what you put at stake. Even if you come close to touching it, and even if you can’t break it, it’s not like you are lesser than anyone who has done it. It’s just your path and you have to come to terms with it.
Your acting career is on a roll right now. How do you plan to balance it with charity work?
I have been doing this balance for the longest time, so I don’t think it’s difficult at all. Plus, now I am working with Brahmachari Chaitanya, founder, Democratic Sangha who is very eager to see a change, to make a change and contribute to the world and he’ll stop at nothing to do it, which is beautiful. I’m so happy that I can work with him today and make a difference. And for me, that has been the most important thing!
Mail: muskankhullar@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @muskankhullar03