When the camera first rolled on the stage of 1990s Mumbai, Soni Razdan was already rehearsing to become a person of the spotlight, rather than a silhouette behind a marquee.
Her big break came with the 2005 indie flick 'Mujhe Dil Chahta Hai', but the roles that followed were as fleeting as a summer monsoon, leaving her to juggle theatre gigs and a growing family.
In a recent Galatta Plus interview, the veteran actor turned the tables, saying she's still a struggling actress, citing her distinct look and the industry's bias. "If I had looked more Indian, the doors would have opened wider," she mused, half a decade after her debut, a candid reminder of the aesthetic gatekeeping that still lurks in Bollywood.
Soni’s recent work on Netflix’s 'Shaque: Trust No One' shows she's still in the game, yet critics note she still battles typecasting. The series, streaming as of May 2023, gave her a platform to showcase her range, but the roles offered were still filtered through her appearance.
What’s next? While she hasn’t announced a new film, her comment that talent isn’t measured by looks may spark a conversation about representation in Bollywood. The industry’s next move could be to reevaluate what makes an actor truly 'star-worthy'.