Regina Cassandra says Bollywood is 'unforgiving': 'I am not the kind of person who could sell myself for work'

Regina Cassandra, known for her performances in numerous Tamil and Telugu movies, is gearing up for the release of her next film, 'Vidaamuyarchi', alongside Ajith Kumar. The actress, who has also worked in Bollywood, recently discussed the similarities and differences between the South and Hindi film industries. She also highlighted the challenges an artist might face upon entering Bollywood.

Regina revealed that learning Hindi in school, thanks to her mother's encouragement, turned out to be highly beneficial for her acting career. She noted that many of her South Indian actress friends face language barriers when working in the North, as sync sound is more commonly used there, unlike in the South, where dubbing is typically preferred. Regina explained that Northern industries can be less forgiving about language proficiency. “They are pretty unforgiving in the North; if you cannot get the language right, they are not going to take you. But in the South, if you cannot get the language right, they are still okay with taking you on as part of the film,” she added.


The 'Evaru' actress observed that Southern films tend to be more rooted, while Northern films often have a more urban appeal. When she considered working in the North, she was advised to move to Mumbai and attend networking events, a concept unfamiliar in the South, where casting agents are rare, and networking is managed by PROs and managers. Regina mentioned that Hindi cinema is more competitive and often involves self-promotion. “It’s much more competitive when it comes to Hindi cinema. I am not the kind of person who could sell myself for work or go lobbying for something. But then I realized that if I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t get that,” she emphasized.

While she understood the need to be proactive, she felt uncomfortable with forced networking and was often told she wasn’t as aggressive as her peers. Preferring a more organic approach, she ultimately found balance by assembling a team to handle her representation and lobbying, allowing her to focus solely on auditions. This setup has brought her a sense of fulfillment and peace in navigating her career.

Alongside 'Vidaamuyarchi', she will next be seen in Gopichand Malineni’s 'Jaat' and in 'Section 108' alongside Sunny Deol and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
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