MEN GET MEATIER ROLES: ANUPRIA

Anupria Goenka feels that women still face prejudice in the industry, says that she lost out on opportunities because of her complexion

Even though the film industry is fast progressing with the kind of content being churned out and characters being written, there are still certain prejudices it can’t help but fall victim to. Actor Anupria Goenka has often spoken about biases she faced in the industry and how she never got bogged down by them. The idea, according to her, is to deal with them in a spirited matter.

Listing down the biases she faced, the actor says, “One is being an actress, I still feel that there is a dearth of good roles written for women. It is definitely getting better, but the roles are still few. Also, for the kind of roles, most don’t satiate us as actors and you have to be choosy about what you do. More often than not, the characters for men are meatier and have a bigger graph, while most women characters still suffer from typecast and certain kinds of prejudices in how they are categorised or slotted.”

Anupria is unable to understand “the distinction of a lead actor and character actor”, and opines that everyone in a story should be playing a character that has a voice.

She continues, “I’m a dusky girl. Sometimes, I’ve lost out on opportunities because there is still a bit of stereotyping as per skin tones. But I haven’t really paid much attention, because I’m very comfortable in my skin. At certain times, it has worked for me, too. And since I’m comfortable about the way I am, I have never thought much about it or let it pull me down.”

During her initial years in showbiz, Anupria’s attention was more on acting than on maintaining the right body and even today, she fails to

Shreya Mukherjee

understand the reason for striving for a skinny physique. She says, “I like women who are voluptuous and wellendowed. That could have also been a bias sometimes. The only way to deal with these things is to choose and do what you think is best for yourself. You should first accept your roots, accept yourself and work towards something when you feel it’s important, not just because others follow it.”

Anupria will next be seen in a web series alongside Arshad Warsi, and currently, she is shooting for another project which is being helmed by Prakash Jha. “I’m really excited because I always wanted to work with Prakash sir. I’m playing a doctor. The role is different from what I’ve done before. I can only say this much right now,” she signs off.

I still that feel there is a dearth of good roles written for women. It is definitely getting better, but the roles are still few.

ANUPRIA GOENKA

ACTOR