Regina Cassandra Describes Bollywood as ‘Unforgiving’

Regina Cassandra, renowned for her performances in Telugu and Tamil cinema, is also balancing multiple projects in the Hindi film industry. Having entered the entertainment world at the age of 14, Regina has dedicated her entire adult life to acting. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, she discussed the similarities and differences between the Hindi and southern regional film industries, highlighting the challenges actors face while trying to establish themselves in Bollywood.

Regina shared that she learned Hindi in school at her mother’s urging, and it has proven to be quite beneficial. “I know many of my actress friends from the South who struggle with the language. For someone coming from the South, language can be a significant barrier. In the North, they use sync sound, whereas in the South, we dub. For me, there’s a huge difference; I’d much prefer to use sync sound than to dub. They can be quite unforgiving in the North—if you can’t get the language right, they won’t hire you. In the South, however, if you struggle with the language, they are still willing to include you in the film,” she explained.

She remarked, “The films being made in the South are more rooted in local culture, while in the North, they tend to be more urban. When I decided to pursue opportunities in the North, I was informed that I would need to live in Mumbai and attend meetings. That’s not how we operate in the South. We do network, but it’s not about meeting people constantly. There’s no concept of casting agents in the South—only managers and PROs. Recently, talent management agencies have started to enter the South market. The competition is much fiercer in Hindi cinema. Personally, I’m not someone who can sell myself for work; I can’t lobby for roles. However, I realized that if I didn’t adapt to this approach, I might miss out on opportunities.”

She added, “I realized that I needed to adapt to that approach, but it’s not how I prefer to operate. Many people told me I wasn’t aggressive enough compared to my competitors, and I came to terms with that. For me, it’s not about being easy or difficult; it just felt very forced. Everything in my life has to feel organic; otherwise, I wouldn’t grasp its significance. Now, I have a team that advocates for me, allowing me to focus solely on auditions, and I’m very happy with that arrangement.”

On the work front, Regina will next appear in “Vidaamuyarchi”, alongside Ajith. She is also set to feature in Gopichand Malineni’s “Jaat”, which stars Sunny Deol in the lead role. Additionally, Regina will be part of “Section 108”, featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui.