They Started Putting Me In A Box

New Delhi:

Meher Vij has been vocal about her journey in the entertainment industry and spoke about being typecast as a “mother.” The actress sat down for an interview with NDTV’s Hardika Gupta and expressed strong views on the importance of choosing substantial roles and the need for diverse representations of women in films. “I’m not somebody who’ll do a project for the sake of doing it,” she stated firmly. She added, “I choose roles wisely. I’m not someone who’ll do a film and dance around the trees. I want a substantial role; I want a substantial trajectory for my role and career.”

Following her performances in Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Secret Superstar where she played the role of a mother, Meher said that she received numerous offers, yet she felt they didn’t align with her vision for her career. Speaking about the industry’s tendency to pigeonhole actors based on their previous roles, the actress said that she found herself being typecast. “After Secret Superstar, I received a lot of offers, but I didn’t get the work I wanted to do. I don’t want to see myself in a box. I don’t want to be a monotonous actor. When you play certain characters, they try to typecast you. After I did Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Secret Superstar, they started putting me in a box, saying this is the role and this is what we want you to play.

Rejecting this narrow view of her capabilities, Meher Vij added, “I said, ‘I don’t want to do this. I’m not here to play a certain type of role. I want to see myself in stronger characters.’ It’s a personal choice; I don’t want to see women in weak roles.” While she acknowledged that her character in Bajrangi Bhaijaan was “not weak”, she spoke about the need for more powerful roles for women in cinema. “I’m not saying Bajrangi was a weak character, but I think women can step up and do some action or take on different roles. They will surprise you.”

On the work front, Meher Vij was last seen in Bandaa Singh Chaudhary, co-starring Arshad Warsi. She is best known for her roles in the drama films Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Secret Superstar (2017), both of which are among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. For her performance in Secret Superstar, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In addition to films, she has appeared in television shows such as Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and Ram Milaye Jodi.