‘…she has to graduate to mother’s roles or quit.’
Key Points
- Mouni Roy, who is only a year older than Varun Dhawan, has been cast as his mother in David Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai.
- Waheeda Rehman says playing a mother role early in her career negatively impacted her heroine roles.
- Waheedaji highlighted the industry norm where actresses are often relegated to mother roles or forced to quit once they reach a certain age, unlike in Hollywood.
Mouni Roy has become a target of an online debate after it came to light that she will apparently be playing Varun Dhawan’s mother in David Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. Mouni is only a year older than Varun in real life.
The queer casting has provoked a widespread backlash on social media, with many questioning the casting of female actors in prematurely aged roles.
Waheeda Rehman on Career Impact
Waheeda Rehman tells Subhash K Jha, “I played mother to Jaya Bachchan in Phagun. It killed my career as a heroine. After that, I was offered mother roles to my contemporaries like Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra. It’s the norm in cinema everywhere.
“Look at Meryl Streep. She contemplates quitting every year when Hollywood quickly offers her another role. Sadly, in our industry, there’s no such remedial procedure. Once a heroine is past a particular age, she has to graduate to mother’s roles or quit.”
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
