Anjali Anand, who was recently seen in Dabba Cartel, spoke about being labelled a ‘plus-size actor’, while pointing out that the industry doesn’t subject men to same level of scrutiny.
Anjali Anand said that nobody is ready to see her as the lead actress in films.
Actress Anjali Anand recently spoke about the issue of being labelled as a ‘plus-size actor’. She questioned why male actors like Govinda and Rishi Kapoor were never referred to as plus-size, while women are consistently reduced to labels like these. The actress, who is known for playing Ranveer Singh’s on-screen sister in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, pointed out that the industry does not subject men to the same level of scrutiny. She also added that the audiences are still not ready to see her as a lead or a heroine in films.
While speaking with Fever FM, Anjali Anand said that nobody is ready to see her as the lead actress in films. “I’m doing that on the web, and in other spaces, but I’m not doing that in the film yet for the larger audiences to come to the theatre,” she said. She further added, “Nobody ever questioned when a Govinda and a Hrithik looked very different. But I love both of them. I maybe love Govinda more. But nobody would call him a plus-size actor. Nobody would call Rishi Kapoor a plus size actor. He is an actor. But for a woman, I’m always called Anjali Anand-a plus sized actor. I hate talking about it. We need to normalise it. People ask me why I don’t promote plus-size representation on the internet, and it’s because I don’t want to. I know I could make a lot of money from it, but I have never thought of myself as someone different.”
Shibani Dandekar then added, “That’s also not how you were thought of, when you were cast for this (Dabba Cartel role).” Anjali added to this, and said that the person who was cast before her was completely different to her. She said, “I need a big production to back that this girl can also be the heroine of a film. Because jo pictures me hota hai wo humari life mein bhi dikhaai deta hai and vice versa.”
Anjali then talked about the lack of acceptance for women in the film industry. “When a woman does something, a Silk Smitha character Vidya Balan is playing, then it’s like a hoo-ha, ‘OMG, look at her stomach, why? Why have we never asked men, ‘Is he a plus-sized actor?’ Have you ever seen someone call a man plus-sized actor? No. So why am I being called one?,” she questioned.
Dabba Cartel features an ensemble cast of Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand, Nimisha Sajayan, and others.
The show is produced under Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment banner, with Shibani, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur, and Akanksha Seda as creators. It is co-written by Bhavna Kher and Vishnu Menon. The series is now available for streaming on Netflix.
