Regena Cassandrra opens up on facing stereotypes as a South Indian actor in Bollywood

After ruling the Tamil and Telugu film industries for more than a decade, Regena Cassandra made a high-profile move to Bollywood with the 2019 release Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Although the Chennai-born actress has since become a regular in the Hindi streaming successes and Bollywood films, she recently opened up in an interview about how her transition from the South to the North was filled with prejudice and an ‘outsider’ mentality.

People treated me in a derogatory manner: Regena Cassandra on working in Bollywood

Although Regena Cassandra is proficient in Hindi, pointing out that she can "read, write, and always do my own dubbing," the actress has said that her language skills were frequently ignored in favour of ‘South Indian’ tropes. Regena has said that it took her some time to settle into the Hindi film industry because of the constant ‘South Indian’ tag.

"A lot of people treated me in a derogatory manner, not just with words, but with actions," Regena shared. She described a "derogatory outlook" from some peers and industry insiders, noting that it was clear she was being "put down" in certain professional settings. These experiences first led to inhibitions about working in the North, although she clarified that this kind of treatment was not prevalent in all of her projects.

Aside from regional prejudices, Regena also pointed out the general difficulties that women encounter in a visually-driven medium. Now 35, she explained that being typecast is a never-ending struggle for female actors in commercial cinema. "I think as a woman in this industry, it’s very easy for us to be stereotyped," she said, clarifying that she makes it a point to steer clear of mainstream commercial projects in order to keep herself versatile.

With projects like Rocket Boys, Farzi and Jaat under her belt, Regena attributes her "nurturing" nature as the reason why she is able to turn every new set into a home. Although she confessed that the industry can be tiring, Regena is currently undergoing a "unlearning and learning" process. For Regena, the experience is no longer about simply "going with the flow" but about making conscious decisions to chart her own path in her own career.

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