Seema Pahwa Shares Struggles That 'Dark-Skinned & Ordinary-Looking Actors' Face In Bollywood

"When we talk about so-called commercial films which have stars, I didn¡¯t get work in those films. And even if I used to get roles, those were either smaller roles, or servant roles, where I had to just serve tea, coffee in the frame and then go back. "

In conversation with Indiatimes, actor Seema Pahwa candidly spoke about the ugly truth of Bollywood.

There are many actors like Pahwa who are getting their dues after struggling for 30 long years. Seema Pahwa¡¯s journey has been no different. Despite being talented, she had to struggle because she didn¡¯t fit in the beauty standards of Bollywood. But she survived and today is enjoying all the name and fame which she earned from her immense hard work.

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We asked Seema when her acting journey began and how was it,

¡°As an actress my journey started when I was 5 year old, I didn¡¯t even know what I was doing at that time, all credit goes to my mom. My career started in 1962, it¡¯s been 52 years. It¡¯s been a learning experience and here I am.¡±

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We asked Seema how her journey has been so far and if she faced any rejections, to which she honestly replied,

¡°I never faced rejection in TV and theatre, that¡¯s a totally different world for me.

But when it came to Bollywood, I have struggled a lot. Until few years ago, films that were made in Bollywood where basically for upper-class people, no one used to make story of middle-class family mostly and people like Shyam Benegal who made such films, I definitely got a chance in it.

When we talk about so called commercial films which have stars, I didn¡¯t get work in those films. And even if I used to get roles, those were either smaller roles, or servant roles, where I had to just serve tea, coffee in the frame and then go back. So yes, there was a lot of rejection for people like us, no one in Bollywood wanted to cast people like me who are dark skin and ordinary."

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Seema added how she lost interest in Bollywood as no one was ready to cast her so she focused on TV and theatre for survival.

"They all wanted to cast fair complexion and glowing skin individuals even if it was for a smaller roles. So yes, that was a big struggle. Later, I let go of my interest in Bollywood because I knew I won¡¯t get work here. Then I focused on TV and theatre."

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Seema even revealed that she herself took a sabbatical from work as she had her family life and wanted to give time to her kids.

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When she came back, she got some opportunities to work in Bollywood due to small town-based films that were being made,

"Then came the time, where movies were made on small towns and then for those stories, they wanted the face and physique like me which is real. This is the problem of our Bollywood since long, they believe in typecasting and clich¨¦s. Mostly every actor¡¯s have faced that. We have been categorized in art films."

The actress further added, " I was sure that I won¡¯t get work in Bollywood at all, but today things have changed and we are here, our presence is felt, now people ask us, aap itne saalo mai kaha thi, what can I say, we were here only, but nobody paid attention to us. Today we are welcomed to those offices where we were not even allowed to make an entry, so the feeling is good. Also I am prepared that if the scenario changes, we will find our satisfaction in theatres."

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Seema also spoke about how small artists are been treated in big budget films,

"In our industry there is a rule that big stars will be accommodated in big hotels while small actors in small hotels and smaller rooms. Plus the way we are treated, aisa lagta hai koi value hi nai hai hamara. Nobody pays attention to us, no facilities, no good food; in fact, the overall behaviour is very rude. We all have tolerated this kind of rejection that breaks your confidence and makes you question why you signed up for it in the first place. Despite facing all this pain, you get to know that your scene has been removed. This has happened to a lot of actors. Even those who are doing bigger and prominent roles today. I don¡¯t want to takes names. But we all have survived this."

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She even added that such rude behaviour breaks confidence of actors, ¡°The confidence shatters, and you start feeling that you aren¡¯t talented, but I feel you shouldn¡¯t stop theatre, that boosts our confidence. I will never stop working in theatre because that¡¯s what keeps me alive.¡±

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Despite seeing success with Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Seema says she still has to struggle for the survival.

¡°I am very fortunate to get Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Savdhaan at the same time, those films brought recognition for me. But at the same time, you cannot over expose yourself as you cannot do same kind films, but we have to work as we need to survive also financially.

We haven¡¯t become those kind of stars where we can buy a flat in Bandra. We are character actors, and we have to understand that our journey is long and the survival is very difficult here.¡±

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Seema Pahwa's journey is definitely every bit inspiring.