Farida Jalal says she was typecast and placed in mother and grandmother roles, while her male counterparts Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher got the opportunity to showcase their versatility.
The ‘Mother’ of 90s Bollywood, Farida Jalal has played the role of mother to some of the biggest superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salmana Khan. However, she eventually bursts out in frustration as she feels “disappointed” that she did not get enough opportunities to showcase her versatility in her acting career.Farida recently revealed that when she was playing the roles of mother and mother-figures in Hindi films, she felt she was typecast, while her contemporary male actors were more diverse in showcasing their acting skills.
In an interview with The Times of India, Farida complained about being typecast and said that she was looking forward to a challenging role where she could showcase her versatility. She also said that whenever she is offered “a mother’s role” or “a grandmother’s role”, she is disappointed that the producers don’t think she can do more than that.
Farida was recently seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar on Netflix and after receiving a warm response for her role in the web-series she has expressed the wish that she would have done more at this stage of her career. Want to do something exciting”. Now.
“My male counterparts got to do a lot more,” she said. From late Amrish Puri to Anupam Kher, he played the role of villain as well as comedian very well. They were not limited to playing father or grandfather on screen, but unfortunately, I have been given just one slot.
Farida’s film career spans nearly 50 years, and she has appeared in over 200 films. While he started his career with Takdeer (1967), he played leading and supporting roles in several Hindi films in the 1970s and early 80s. However, her most favorite works are her roles in films like Aradhana (1969), Paras (1971), Mehendi (1991) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).
