Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh on the rise of #MeToo and why she walked away from exploitation

Chitrangada Singh is wearing black and white at an event to promote her next film

Baazaar, but shades of grey crisscrossed through her conversation. The actress talks about her new film’s uniqueness, the kind of roles she has been offered, and her experience of the #MeToo movement, which has surged in India in recent weeks.

In Baazaar, which was released in the UAE on Thursday, the actress plays Mandira, the wife of a businessman played by Saif Ali Khan. Release of the film means it is the third time in four months that she has been in the movie news after her turn as a producer with the hit Soorma, released in July, and her role in Saheb, Biwi Aur

Gangster 3, which was a box office failure.

Singh’s anxiety is evident when she asks for feedback on the trailer of Baazaar, in which Khan plays an ambitious man named Shakun Kothari, who is looking to carve out a name for himself in the stock market, something that has not been shown in Bollywood, a fact Singh is quick to point out.

“Usually you have a grudge or a love story, but share markets have not been done before. People do no attempt stories such as this, without the fluff we usually have. It is a thriller, about games people are playing. Everybody is grey in this, with people and their ambitions, their wheeling and dealing and all that. It is very edgy.

“I am the only one with a clean image. As you will see, when the story unfolds in the end, she becomes a too-important part in the game, even though she is not involved in it,” says Singh.

Being on the periphery in this phase of her career troubles the actor, and this is evident when we ask about her weaknesses. She says: “I don’t get a chance to play different kinds of roles. I have been boxed in either roles which have me presenting either an suggestive image or a total lack of glam.

“There are other kinds [of roles] in the middle that I would like to play, which have more layers. There are limited offers for such roles, but those are offered to those who have already done such. I wouldn’t know if I haven’t tried. I would love to play a dark character.”

With the #MeToo movement finally boiling over in Bollywood, Singh opts to look at the big picture when asked about her experience. “I think you have to create an atmosphere. You cannot make laws about everything,” she says.

“Ultimately it boils down to the environment where

we have to work together in tandem.”

Singh mentions that she did have her share of bad experiences two years ago, and explains how she dealt with it. “It was when I was doing Babumoshai Bandookbaaz.I

just chose to walk away.”

While Singh does not reveal anything more than that, she did later open up to the

Bollywood Hungama website and said actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui looked the other way when it happened.

The actress recalled details of how she was asked to shoot an explicit scene, which she refused.

“The director told me not to fuss and just do what was required. I was intimidated, bullied and threatened into doing it. But, Nawaz just sat there waiting for the storm to blow over,” she says.

Singh claims she was declared “troublesome” and “moody” before she was asked to “pack bags”. She was later replaced with Bidita Bag in the film.

Back at the sit-down with the

Baazaar team, Singh concedes that women actors must learn to walk away from ugly moments. She realises this can result in less work, but is accepting of her decision.

However, this hazard remains at the back of her mind as she seeks out more serious and less sultry roles at this stage of her career.

Baazaar is released in UAE cinemas on Thursday

Everybody is grey in this, with people and their ambitions, their wheeling and dealing and all that. It is very edgy