Regina Cassandra has been working in the Tamil film industry for 20 years. She’s also appeared in Telugu films, but made her Hindi film debut only five years ago in Shelly Chopra Dhar’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019). Since then, she’s made a mark with shows like Rocket Boys, Shoorveer, Farzi, and Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke, and more recently this year, with films like Jaat and Kesari 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, where she played the wife of Akshay Kumar. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Regina talks about making inroads into Bollywood, whether she’s equipped to do North Indian characters, and starting her Bollywood journey with a queer character.
This year, we’ve seen you play the villain in Vidaamuyarchi and Jaat. Would you say you’re in your evil era?
(Laughs) I don’t think I’m in my evil era. I’ve always been about balancing, and Kesari 2 would also prove that. Back in 2022, when I was doing Rocket Boys, I also did an item song (“Saana Kastham” in Telugu film Acharya). I’ve always wanted to be a versatile actor. Proving yourself in this industry is not very easy, unless you get the opportunity to. And I’ve only been blessed enough to get the opportunity to play different roles. To my luck, the industry is constantly changing in favour of women doing different kinds of roles.
Regina Cassandra in Jaat.
Balancing is great, but how do you make limited screentime roles like the ones in Kesari 2 or Farzi your own?
At the end of the day, you’re expected to do the job you’re assigned to the fullest. The audience has also become really smart and sensitive. Thanks to social media, Instagram, Twitter or Reddit, people have become very aware of what’s going on, whether it’s how much a film has made to where an actor is from. Sometimes, people within the industry don’t know a South actor or from any other language. But the audience does! At the end of the day, you make films for the audience. I think it’s a compliment when the audience or the reviewers say they wanted to see more of me. That’s a big win. It’s something I’ll take home happily. And that’s been a unanimous case with my films where my role is smaller than other actors. It’s not even a moment of pride for me. I just feel blessed that people are so accepting of my work. When they talk about my screen presence, I feel like I’m on the right path.
In Kesari 2, we see you as the partner of a complex man. In the scene when Akshay Kumar’s character says, “Let’s go home,” you don’t oppose it, but just quietly support his decision. How did you crack that chemistry with him?
I’ve played pretty strong yet subdued parts in the past. She was a support system at the end of the day. There’s a lot of power in silence, and in silently supporting the people you love. It’s sometimes the only way you can be there. You can’t change anything or make the person feel a different way.
Akshay Kumar and Regina Cassandra in Kesari 2.
From Rocket Boys to Kesari 2, you’ve often been cast as a South Indian character. Do you think the Hindi film industry will ever cast South Indian actors like you as North Indian characters?
Will they, I don’t know. Should they, yes. Because Bollywood is pretty unpredictable. In fact, I’d love for them to cast me as a Punjabi. The South has always been welcoming of North Indians, especially female actors. In Bollywood, technicians have been from the South.
But that’s more to do with skill. Do you think language becomes a hurdle?
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I feel that’s just an excuse. It’s something we can work on. We’ve got bigger issues to deal with. You’re telling me dubbing for an actor or getting them to go through classes isn’t possible? It’s not about the lack of an actor wanting to put in the effort. I know I can look like a North Indian as well. It’s not that I’m not trying. I’ve auditioned for North Indian characters. I’ve also asked directors to henceforth not change my characters to South Indian, especially if they’ve written them as North Indian characters.
Regina Cassandra as Mrinalini Sarabhai in Rocket Boys.
You did play a North Indian character, Kuhu, in your debut Hindi film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Right?
Yes, in fact, those are the kind of directors I really admire because she wanted to work with me just because of my work. She didn’t think how I’d figure out the accent. And I dubbed for myself! I’m a big ally of the LGBTQ+ community. I’d do anything to shout out my support. So that film really spoke to me.
Sonam Kapoor and Regina Cassandra in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga.
Now, we see Mammootty play a queer character in Kaathal: The Core (2023). But do you think there were any queer parts in South Indian films five years ago?
Although Hindi cinema is considered huge and rational, South Indian films touch a chord because the audience is very accepting here. There’s not just the run-of-the-mill stuff. We love our commercial films, and have enough of them here, but we have a great balance too. The South has done it way before. In fact, there was a film of mine in the South in which I played a lesbian, much before I did Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. It was directed by Venkat Prabhu, but it didn’t happen.
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Your next Hindi film is Section 108 alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui. How was that experience like?
I hope it sees light of the day. We’ve worked really hard to put it out. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an actor all of us unanimously look up to. Having him in a film makes you instantly intrigued about what it’s about. Again, I’m very blessed to be a part of such cinema.
You’re also a part of Mookuthi Amman 2 with Nayanthara. Are you looking forward to that?
Yes, we’re starting in June. We’ve just one day’s shoot of look tests and promotional stills. The whole canvas is very appealing. It’s a Sundar C film, he’s all about fantasy. My role in it is pretty crazy! It’s something I’ve never done before at all. I love that 20 years into my career, I can say it’s something I’ve not done before.
