There was a time when some Bollywood actors were told they were ugly when they started their careers. Let’s check out what these actors said about the comments that were made on their looks.
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma recalled an incident when Yash Raj Films’ head, Aditya Chopra, told her she was talented but not very good-looking. During an appearance on Koffee with Karan, Anushka shared his words: “He said, ‘I have a lot of belief in your talent and I think you are a very talented actress, but I don’t think you are very good-looking. You’re not the most good-looking girl, so you have to make sure that you work hard.’”
Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh also recalled Aditya Chopra’s ‘reality check’ about his looks. Ranveer told Bollywood Hungama in 2022, “I used to think that I am good-looking, but then Adi sir gave me a reality check at the beginning of my career. He was like, ‘You are good-looking but not in a conventional way. You are not Hrithik Roshan, so better you act well.’”
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan, now known as the “King of Bollywood,” faced criticism early in his career. When he first played antagonist roles in Baazigar and Darr a director referred to him as ordinary and ugly. He said, “There’s a wonderful director friend of mine, and he met me, and he said, ‘You are so ordinary and ugly looking’. Yeah, he told me on my face…”
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan remembered a tough time when a producer made her feel ugly after replacing her in a film. In a 2022 interview with Prabhat Khabar, Vidya said, “I was kicked out of 13 films. When one producer replaced me, their behavior made me feel so ugly that for six months, I could not gather the courage to look at myself in the mirror.”
Taapsee Pannu
In a 2021 interview with Cosmopolitan India, Taapsee Pannu talked about her unconventional looks. She said, “It was the opposite of everything I was. I didn’t have those big ‘doe eyes’; I didn’t have an elegant, small nose… I had this large, ‘royal nose’, as people call it. I didn’t have luscious lips or straight, silky hair — the kind that actresses flipped around. I had curly hair, and I remember noticing that none of the actresses on television had hair like mine.”
Richa Chadha
In 2019, Richa Chadha opened up about being called ugly in the early days of her career. She said In my initial days, the press called me ugly. They called me names for my appearance in a film where I was not required to look glamorous. An article was written on me, titled 10 things that one hates about Richa Chadha’ by a publication.
Rajkummar Rao
Rajkummar Rao once said he didn’t get lead roles due to his looks. Rajkummar told India Today in 2022, “There was a time when I would never get to audition for a hero’s role. I was told to audition for his friend’s role. I know I am not the most good-looking man in the room…”
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