Regena Cassandrra faces stereotypes in Bollywood: ‘As South Indian, treated in…’

For Regena Cassandrra, acting began as an extracurricular activity. Growing up in Chennai, films were never part of a grand career plan. Yet more than a decade later, after building a solid body of work in Tamil and Telugu cinema, she stepped into Bollywood with Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga in 2019, and walked into a very different world.

Today, Regena says she feels most at home on a film set. But the journey to feeling accepted in the Hindi film industry was not smooth. In a candid conversation with Hindustan Times, the actor revealed that being labelled a “South Indian actress” often came with assumptions she had to constantly break.

Here’s what Regena Cassandrra said:

Regena shared that despite being fluent in Hindi, reading, writing and speaking it comfortably, she was often judged before she even got a chance to perform. “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,” she said.

However, she admitted that there were moments when the treatment went beyond subtle bias. “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 added.

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Over time, Regena says she learnt to focus on the work rather than the noise.

Making her own space in Hindi cinema

Despite the early discomfort, Regena slowly built her presence with projects like Kesari Chapter 2, Rocket Boys, Farzi, and Jaat. She believes her personality helped her bridge gaps. “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 explained.

Her approach has been simple: Let the work speak.

Beyond regional labels

Regena also pointed out that stereotypes are not limited to language or region. As a woman in a visual medium, she feels typecasting is common. “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,” she said.

Having started her career at 16 and now at 35, Regena says she is still learning and unlearning. “This might sound very woke, but it’s really not that easy being in this particular industry… Somewhere along the way, I’m unlearning and learning, and the process continues,” she concluded.

For Regena Cassandrra, the journey has not just been about crossing industries; it has been about quietly challenging perceptions and carving her own identity.