Farida Jalal: My potential is yet to be tapped, it’s painful that people can’t think beyond certain roles for me

Going strong at 71, veteran actor Farida Jalal says she is hopeful that she would get to portray varied characters on screen and not just a mother, sister or grandmother.

The artiste in Farida Jalal is seeking more than what she has achieved so far, and she’s keen on doing more work in films, TV and web before she hangs her boots. As excited as she sounds to be in this field of art, the veteran actor is hopeful that people would think beyond casting her in the roles of a mother, sister and grandmother.

Actor Farida Jalal was last seen in the Bollywood film Jawaani Jaaneman.

“I have much more to give, much more to do before I say goodbye. My potential is yet to be tapped. People should think beyond stereotyping me in similar characters. It’s disheartening and painful that they can’t think beyond certain roles for me,” she says, adding that in her career spanning over 50 years, she got typecast in such characters quite early.

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Another thing that 71-year-old doesn’t like is being asked the kind of characters she wants to explore, as she doesn’t believe in restricting herself. More so, now when so many different characters and narratives are being played with, so wants to be flexible.

“I see my male counterparts portraying a varied characters in different languages, Indian and international films. Be it the kind of roles (late) Om Puri did or what Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal, and Amitabh Bachchan have been doing. They’re playing villains, comedians, lawyers, doctors... then why aren’t such roles written for female actors? I do get jealous at times,” she quips, hoping things would change given the kind of stories web is churning.

Having done web shows such as Love Shots (2016) and Mehram (2019), Jalal would love to more work on the medium along with films and TV. She was last seen in the TV show Satrangi Sasural in 2016 and her latest Bollywood project was Jawaani Jaaneman. She has already shot for an upcoming film titled, Laila Manju.

Meanwhile, Jalal expresses displeasure regarding the negative narratives that are being highlighted against Bollywood.

“I totally love my industry. Whatever I’ve achieved today is because of this. Having worked here for so long and knowing it so closely, I won’t accept anyone saying anything about us. This industry is one of the safest places. I’ve been a witness to the outside world also, so I know. Everywhere something or the other is happening, so stop blaming and saying all these bad things about Bollywood,” she concludes.

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Author tweets @Shreya_MJ