After starting her career as a model at the age of 15, Sangeeta Bijlani’s passion for acting took her to Bollywood. But the actor decided to take a break and explore other things in life, after last film Jagannath (1996). While offers kept coming, she didn’t want to rush back. Contemplating a comeback now, Bijlani has certain things in mind — the first being strong female parts.
“The depiction of female characters has changed. In ‘80s and ‘90s when I was working, most films lacked strong female roles. But now, apart from the screen time, the presence and aura these new age characters have are amazing… I think this is the right time for a comeback,” she says.
Bijlani also mentions female directors such as Gauri Shinde, Tanuja Chandra, Meghna Gulzar, Zoya Akhtar, doing a fabulous job.
“Their films are captivating. We didn’t have so many female voices before. Male directors like Shriram Raghavanm Imitiaz Ali, Milan Luthria… are also wonderful. What’s also intriguing are the real life flavour in their narratives,” she adds.
Now in the unlock phase, Bijlani, 60, is raring to go back to work. “OTT is another medium that I’ll explore. The kind of content they’re generating and how every role gets an opportunity to flourish is fascinating. I had a few offers from OTT but before we could move ahead, this (the lockdown) happened and two of them didn’t fall through… I would rather wait and do powerful roles than take up anything,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}Now in the unlock phase, Bijlani, 60, is raring to go back to work. “OTT is another medium that I’ll explore. The kind of content they’re generating and how every role gets an opportunity to flourish is fascinating. I had a few offers from OTT but before we could move ahead, this (the lockdown) happened and two of them didn’t fall through… I would rather wait and do powerful roles than take up anything,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}Ask her about collaborating friend Salman Khan in projects and Bijlani refuses to comment, saying, “That’s a little personal.”
Reacting to the nepotism, favouritism debates in the industry, she says, “This has been discussed so extensively now that it has somewhere gone into the negative space. I wouldn’t like to add to that. I’ve had both pleasant experience and difficult days too. Remember at the end, the choice is always yours.”
But amid all these, Bijlani stresses on the importance of inner peace, and she’s planning to talk about it on a streaming platform.
“My parents taught me how remain happy, calm and positive, which helped me sail through many tides. I feel sometimes with our busy lives we forget about self love and care. That needs to be imbibed again in times like these,” she ends.
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Author tweets @Shreya_MJ
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