Anu Aggarwal says she wasn’t seen as ‘typical heroine material’: ‘I used to smoke openly with boys, didn’t act coy’ | Hindi Movie News Filmymeet

Actor Anu Aggarwal, who gained popularity for her role in ‘Aashiqui’, disclosed that she had to overcome some obstacles in order to be chosen for her feature debut. Anu said that she faced certain difficulties due to her height and dusky complexion. She mentioned that in the past, actors would lighten their skin for films and would never include a dusky girl onscreen.
Prior to the movie’s release, Gulshan Kumar expressed dissatisfaction with the leads’ appearance and requested Mahesh to give a solution.Then, with their faces hidden by the coat, he unveiled a poster of the two. When asked if she and Rahul Roy had discussed these kinds of things prior to the movie’s release, Anu replied that these kinds of conversations took place among the directors and producers behind closed doors.
During a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Anu Aggarwal shared that she faced personal challenges due to not fitting the typical heroine mold. Firstly, her dusky complexion was a significant issue as she shared that girls with dusky skin often used to lighten their faces and were rarely seen on screen. Secondly, her height was considered tall by the standards of that time and she set a trend for tall actresses after her. Prior to her, tall girls were not common in the industry.
The actress further added, “Even if you look at modelling, someone like Zeenat Aman, she was four to five inches shorter than me. So, there were no tall girls, it wasn’t a trend. I didn’t engage in flattery or sycophancy.“
Anu went on to say that she used to be quite outspoken and never acted coy. She revealed that she wasn’t shy at all. She openly smoked with boys and never pretended.
The actress revealed that there is a lot of ‘pretence and hypocrisy’ in the industry but she never pretended. She said, “As a girl, I stood my ground among the boys. If you want to talk to me, show respect. If you didn’t show respect, I was out. I had a lot of attitude, I didn’t act coy like other girls. I would look straight into your eyes and talk. If I wanted to smoke a cigarette, I would do it openly. Other girls would smoke and drink whiskey behind closed doors, but I didn’t do that. I didn’t drink whiskey, but I did smoke, and I would carry my cigarette packet everywhere, even on sets. I used to smoke openly among the boys and I didn’t hide anything. In this industry, even today, there is a lot of pretence and hypocrisy.“
For the unversed, Anu Aggarwal shot to nationwide fame in the 90s with her role in her debut film ‘Aashiqui’. She is known for her work in films like ‘Aashiqui’, ‘King Uncle’, ‘Khal-Naaikaa’, ‘The Cloud Door’, and more.