Regina Cassandra Counters Radhika Apte, Janhvi Kapoor’s Remarks On South Cinema

The debate over Bollywood and the South Indian film industry has taken another turn, with actress Regina Cassandra weighing in on the comments made by Radhika Apte and Janhvi Kapoor about their experiences working in South Indian films.

Radhika Apte had earlier spoken about the uncomfortable experiences she faced while working in the South, suggesting that actresses were sometimes expected to accept certain roles and situations without questioning them. Janhvi Kapoor, too, had spoken about the pressure surrounding certain on-screen pairings and the kind of roles offered to female actors in Southern films.

Reacting to these remarks in a recent interview, Regina felt that established actors have the freedom to refuse projects or walk away if they are uncomfortable with a script or anything happening on the sets. She pointed out that actors are aware of the basic storyline, their characters and the film's overall theme before signing on. Therefore, it would be unfair to suggest that they have no choice once they become part of a project.

Regina also highlighted the differences in working styles between Bollywood and the Southern film industries. According to her, Hindi film productions generally follow strict call sheets and shooting schedules, whereas South Indian films can be more flexible, with certain scenes and arrangements being worked out on the day of the shoot.

She also cautioned against judging an entire industry based on a few individual experiences. Citing her own experience with Kesari 2, Regina revealed that she was left out of promotional activities and song credits by Dharma Productions, despite playing Akshay Kumar's wife in the film.

Her experience, she suggested, was an example of how actors can face uncomfortable situations in Bollywood as well. Regina's larger point was that such issues should be addressed individually rather than being used to paint an entire film industry in a negative light.