Anjali Anand wanted to say no to 'Dhamaal 4'
What's the story
Anjali Anand, who recently impressed audiences with her performance in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, is now a part of Indra Kumar's comedy franchise Dhamaal 4. However, speaking to Variety India, she revealed that her initial reaction to the film was one of hesitation. "The first time I heard the narration, my first instinct was to say no because I said this is completely opposite of everything that I stand for in life."
Role acceptance
'Who else is giving me this opportunity?'
Despite her initial hesitation, Anand decided to accept the role in Dhamaal 4.
She explained, "Who is giving me this opportunity to be part of this cast and this franchise and have so much screen time?"
She said, "Who else is giving me this opportunity? Is anybody writing anything? No."
"If someone is going to play this part, it's going to be me...I would put a little bit of Anjali into Paro...and make her the main character of the film."
Body shaming
'If in a half-hour, 45-minute interview...'
After the film's release, Anand was subjected to online trolling, with many comments focusing on her appearance rather than her acting skills.
She expressed her frustration over this narrative, saying, "My narrative outside in this world is all about my body, and I don't talk about my body at all."
"If in a half-hour, 45-minute interview, I speak about 100 other things, someone will pick out that one line and just talk to me about my body."
Body positivity
'Tomorrow, when I do make it big...'
When asked about criticism of Dhamaal 4 for not being body-positive enough, Anand said she understands the conversation but believes her journey needs to be seen in a larger context.
"Tomorrow, when I do make it big, and I do parts which they have been waiting for me to do, I will get to those parts by doing these parts now," she said.
Representation
'Just a pioneer of how people should be kind'
Anand added, "I am not here to say that shaming is good or bad or whatever. I am not the pioneer of anything. I am just a pioneer of how people should be kind."
"I'm just here to show people that there's all kinds of beauty."
She also said if audiences only saw her size and not her performance, it was more about them than her.