From Gangubai To Chakda Xpress, 11 Times Bollywood Was Called Out For Problematic Casting!
Considering how it's difficult to please a woke generation, netizens jump on the activism bandwagon at the first chance they get to boycott a film if the casting is a problem.
A film can have exotic locales, a great storyline, and a gripping direction. Still, failure is inevitable if the actors chosen are unable to deliver what the role requires. Like, is there even a possibility of imagining Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara without Naseeruddin Shah? Or DDLJ without Shah Rukh Khan?
Twitter
However, casting can also prove disastrous if the decisions made for the selection process are not mindful.
Considering how it's difficult to please a woke generation, netizens jump on the activism bandwagon at the first chance they get to boycott a film if the casting is a problem.
Twitter
We have seen casting debacles in recent times, which became a topic of heated discussions and debates on social media. Read on!
1. When fans wondered why Tabu or Madhuri weren't cast for Gangubai, and the role went to Alia Bhatt
Twitter
Ever since the first look of Gangubai was released, people on the internet started wondering why someone like Tabu or Vidya Balan wasn't cast for the role. Reacting to Alia as Gabgubai, people wrote:
Alia Bhatt has the same look in all her movies that are coming. Nose ring, bindi, saree¡. And yet she still looks like a kid playing dress up. #AliaBhatt @aliaa08
¡ª Maha (@MahaAliRehman) August 21, 2021
Who else thinks Alia Bhat is a misfit in the role of Gangubai Kathiawadi ? I feel a more senior (older) actress would have better suited to play the part of a brothel owner.I¡¯d have picked Richa Chadha ,Konkona Sen or Vidya Balan . AB looks like a school kid! #GangubaiKathiawadi
¡ª The Cheshire Cat (@C90284166) March 15, 2021
I don¡¯t know the issue with the Casting directors but Alia Bhat isn¡¯t perfect one for Gangubai Kathiawadi¡¯s role. You can¡¯t look serious or bold with a happy face all the time.
¡ª Jay Kholiya. (@jayykholiya) February 26, 2021
Plus, she¡¯s much younger and it needed someone in her mid-30s or late-40s to fit in perfectly.
Alia Bhatt is a very talented actor but Gangubai could have done with a Tabu or a Vidya Balan or a Madhuri Dixit.
¡ª DipConfused (@dipconfused) February 10, 2022
The Hindi film industry is such a shallow space that outstanding talent doesn¡¯t stand a chance after a certain age, even if you¡¯ve been at the top of your game.
Wish they had given gangubai role to Vidya instead. She was meant for it. Alia is just meh
¡ª Ayesh (@ayeshmuneeb) February 9, 2022
im sorry but alia looks like a child playing dress-up. plus what's up with all the flashing lights and weird effects to emphasize dance moves?
¡ª a (@dooooomscroller) February 10, 2022
There should be Vidya Bala instead of Alia bhatt in Gangubai kathiawadi. Tho Alia is a wonderful actress still it feels she is too young for this role.
¡ª Anam? (@LeAnam__) March 22, 2021
Unpopular opinion Vidya Balan would have portrayed Gangubai much better than Alia Bhatt.
¡ª Charmi Chheda (@charmi04) February 4, 2022
In one of the interviews, Alia Bhatt clarified that the movie showcases Gangubai's journey from the 20s to 30s. However, it still came across as an unconvincing answer for people looking forward to this SLB movie.
2. When Jhulan Goswami fans called out Anushka Sharma for fake accent and complexion in 'Chakda Express.'
Twitter
Casting actors for the biopic is not one of Bollywood's strongest suits. When Anushka Sharma and her production house unveiled the trailer of 'Chakda Express,' many jumped and started trolling Anushka for her fake Bengali accent.
If your lead character is a Bengali who has to speak Hindi, pick a Bengali actor.
¡ª Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) January 6, 2022
However hard non-Bengalis try, their Hindi accent will never be as bad as ours.
Tomader boss ki baat noy.
While you understandably crib about Alia in Gangubai, remember that these castings, where a star actress has to be the lead, have all been awful in the recent past.
¡ª Sandy (@ThatWickedGuy_) February 10, 2022
Parineeti as Saina, Shraddha as Haseena Parkar, Anushka as Jhulan, Kangana as Jayalalithaa. All been terrible!
Pathetic casting for #ChakdaXpress
¡ª Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) January 6, 2022
Anushka Sharma as Jhulan Goswami ? And even the Bengali accent is so fake. Why??
Couldn't they find a Bengali actress to play Jhulan Goswami ?@biditabag could have played the role easily. pic.twitter.com/u5YIuiYNPn
lol that trailer of the Jhulan Goswami biopic has Anushka Sharma talking with a heavy Bengali accent and slipping into Bengali while talking Hindi.
¡ª Anxious EconPhD applicant (@MarginalS4th) January 6, 2022
Which is actually true for Jhulan Goswami. Unlike Sourav Ganguly, she's still not all that fluent in conversational Hindi lol.
People pointed out how it was inappropriate to wear makeup to get the same skin color as Jhulan, as the team could have easily cast an actor like Konkona to resemble the cricket hero.
3. "Trans people don't get a chance": When netizens called out the makers of Gangubai for casting Vijay Raaz as a trans woman
Indiatimes
The trailer of Gangubai triggered a debate among cinema fans. Without questioning Vijay Raaz's potential as an actor, fans asked why a cis-gender person again nabbed a transperson's role.
SLB Films
¡°Can Bollywood stop casting cis/straight people as transsexual characters, please? It's 2022 already, and I am pretty sure that there is enough talent in this country where an actual transsexual can portray a transsexual character,¡± a person wrote in a tweet.
The conversation moved to Reddit, where fans debated whether Vijay was the right choice.
4. ¡°If a trans person is cast in the mainstream, others will be inspired to be themselves¡±- A healthy debate started after the release of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui
Instagram
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui was an important film, but it did trigger a healthy debate around the casting of transgender actors for trans roles. Vaani Kapoor as a trans girl in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui was a good step by Abhishek Kapoor to tell an important story, but somehow, people wondered why a trans artist couldn't get a chance.
TOI
Abhishek Kapoor defended his casting tactics for the film by saying, ¡°We went through many avenues, and there was a thought about casting a trans person, but you know I find everyone is so fascinated just by actors. Why is it that an actor legitimizes everything? Why can¡¯t a trans person write the film? Why can¡¯t a trans person direct the film? First of all, this fascination is incorrect. Actors do not make films; filmmakers and writers make them."
5. After years of debate, Priyanka Chopra finally confessed ¡®someone from the northeast¡¯ should have played Mary Kom.
Indiatimes
It took Priyanka Chopra many years to finally admit, ¡®I look nothing like her.¡¯ In 2014, At the time of its release, Mary Kom was at the center of controversy for its casting choice.
Indiatimes
Cinema fans pointed out that casting Priyanka instead of an actor from the northeast was ¡®racist.¡¯
6. Why Not Saswata Chatterjee? Fans slammed the makers of 'Kahaani' Spin-Off, Starring Abhishek Bachchan, for not casting the OG Bob, who made a striking appearance in Kahaani.
Twitter
Fans jumped with joy when the spin-off of Bob Biswas, a popular and unforgettable character from Vidya Balan's Kahaani, was announced. The makers had to bear the brunt of replacing Saswata Chatterjee and casting Abhishek Bachchan for the titular role.
Twitter
Fans also pointed out how a talented Bengali actor had to lose an incredible opportunity only because the team wanted a bigger star for the film.
7. People Were angry seeing Bhumi Pednekar¡¯s forcefully made-up ¡®brown face¡¯ in 'Bala.'
Bhumi Pednekar
Fans were not convinced that the makers chose Bhumi and used extensive makeup to make her look darker. Calling out makers for hypocrisy and not casting an actor who could have had a skin tone similar to what was required, people wrote:
Just saw Bala trailer. Why couldn't they just use a dark skinned actress than putting black makeup on fair skinned Bhumi?
¡ª Rabi Agrawal (@RabiAgrawal) October 10, 2019
if only there were any actors in this country with darker skin... if only.#BrownFace #Bala pic.twitter.com/baks9OaeFw
¡ª Karnika (@KarnikaKohli) October 10, 2019
Dear bsdk Bollywood,
¡ª Wellu (@Wellutwt) October 11, 2019
Why did you have to paint bhumi¡¯s face brown, Is there lack of brown girls in India!? Or dark skinned Women / artists who can do a better job,Wait afterall this is just Bollywood ! ?
What can you expect? #Bala
So Bala is about a man who suffers from hair loss, who is played by Ayushman, and a dark skinned girl who gets mocked because of that. However, instead of maybe hiring a real dark skinned actress they just cast Bhumi and further darken her face. Ironic, to say the least ???¡â? pic.twitter.com/IH9ImpPbyq
¡ª lost soul (@theClaiire) October 10, 2019
8. When Neena Gupta Soni Razdan raised their voice on casting younger actresses like Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in Saand Ki Aankh as Prakashi Tomar and Chandra Tomar
Twitter
Neena Gupta revealed that the director wanted to cast her in the movie, but the financers wanted young actors to play the role of Chando and Prakashi Tomar. Earlier, she also sparked a debate on ageism and addressed the issue of casting older women.
9. 'What's With The Black Paint On Hrithik Roshan's Face?' asked fans after they pointed out casual racism Over 'Super 30' casting
Twitter
The trailer of Super 30 didn't go down too well amongst people. The makers were criticized for Hrithik's unrealistic and de-glam look and the extra brown/black make-up on his face. Fans started asking why a person from Bihar or a refined actor like Pankaj Tripathi didn't make the cut.
10. Fans felt Akshay Kumar's film Laxmii was ¡®Hinduphobic¡¯ and ¡®mocks transgender people as the superstar played a transgender ghost.
Twitter
Besides a lousy plot, cinema fans felt the movie was disrespectful towards the transgender community. They also labeled the plot and characters as Hinduphobic.
11. When Sara Ali Khan-Akshay Kumar's romantic angle in ¡®Atrangi Re¡¯ was slammed.
Twitter
The film's release definitely clarified all doubts people had in their minds, but still, fans have time and again pointed out how male actors have a longer shelf life than female actors. In contrast, actors in their 50s are still seen as main leads and 'heroes,' female actresses that age get 'Bua-Chachi-Mummy' roles.
(To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.)
