Actress Rejina Cassandra spoke out against attempts to frame discussions about the 'objectification' of women in cinema as an issue related to the North-South divide. Commenting on Janhvi Kapoor's and Radhi Advani's remarks regarding their experiences in Telugu films, Rejina stated that actresses have the right to refuse roles or leave projects where they feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, Rejina accused Karan Johar and Dharma Productions of completely ignoring her during the promotion of the film 'Kesari Chapter 2,' despite her playing a significant role in it. She noted that her name was not included in promotional materials, nor was she tagged in social media posts for the song she appeared in.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Rejina revealed that Karan Johar decided not to promote her, even though she worked on the film 'Kesari 2' from Dharma Productions. She questioned whether this was related to her being a South Indian actress and emphasized that she received no explanation.
The actress also shared that she has faced discrimination while working in North India. She stated that she was treated this way precisely because she is a South Indian actress, while noting that her knowledge of Hindi and acting skills allow her to work.
Her comments were a reaction to Janhvi Kapoor's remarks about the Telugu film 'Peddi' and Radhi Advani's comments about working with an older actor in a Telugu film. Rejina stressed that both actresses had the option to decline such roles or exit the project if they felt uncomfortable.
She added that although she did not watch the episode of 'Coffee with Karan,' she dislikes the general comments about South Indian cinema made by North Indian actors. Rejina believes that such statements create a gulf between the 'North' and the 'South,' and she speaks about this as a South Indian actress.
Rejina again accused Dharma Productions of not mentioning her even when releasing the song she participated in. She clarified that the song was released and published, but she was never tagged.
The actress also countered that Radha and Janhvi are not the only actresses who have worked with older partners or taken roles portraying them as 'objects.' In Rejina's view, actors have the right to refuse projects where they do not feel comfortable, and there is no need to divide these issues along regional lines when discussing them.
Rejina will next appear in the film 'Mookuthi Amman 2' by Nayantara. This film is a sequel to the Tamil comedy-bhakti film 'Mookuthi Amman,' released in 2020, where Nayantara played the main divine role. Sundar S. directed this sequel, and Ishari K. Ganesh produced it.
