Marathi audiences find things ‘bold’ only when Marathi actresses do it, not when Deepika Padukone does it: Tejaswini Pandit

Tejaswini Pandit recently appeared in an unusual avatar in the web series called Raanbaazaar. Directed by Abhijit Panse, it saw her in the role of a high-class escort. Thus, she had to dress accordingly and do scenes as per the requirement of the character.

The actress has often been asked about her ‘bold’ choice and now, in an interview with Hindustan Times, she retaliated saying that Marathi audiences only find Marathi actresses bold. The actress cited the example of Deepika Padukone and said that they wouldn’t question that actress for being bold.

“There are so many actors, such as Deepika (Padukone) and others, who have done intimate scenes, stripped (their) clothes, but they (audience) won’t find them bold,” Tejaswini said. Of course, the actress was hinting at Deepika’s role in Gehraiyaan, which received acclaim and was criticized at the same time.

Tejaswini also added that the Marathi audiences get offended when a Marathi actress appears in a bold role. She, however, believes that while the Marathi audiences will take time to reach to a stage where they do not get offended by Marathi actresses appearing in ‘bold’ roles, these viewers will get there for sure.

Tejaswini understands where the mindset comes from but strongly believes that it needs to change. She explains that audiences look at Marathi actresses like someone of their own household. However, the actress also emphasizes that is exactly what needs to change – that these viewers need to understand that the artists are only actors who are doing their job.

Co-incidentally, before Tejaswini, renowned Marathi actress Sai Tamhankar was stereotyped as a ‘bold actress.’ When OTTplay had asked her how she in a way broke out of the stereotype, Sai too explained that she was not completely able to break out since people still see her as bold even when she has mindfully done varied roles and characters over the years. Like Tejaswini, she also hopes to see the change.