While she started with Tamil cinema, actor Regena Cassandrra has done substantial work in Hindi, too, ranging from the web series, Rocket Boys, to the film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019).

However, the 34-year-old, who will next be seen in Jaat alongside Sunny Deol, says that “being a South Indian in this industry isn’t easy”. She tells us,“I started working at the age of nine. Over the last 25-odd years, I’ve done ads, short films, and movies and have a certain sense of understanding of what goes on.”

Elaborating, she says, “When I audition for any project in Hindi, they look at my language skills. Can this girl talk in Hindi? How does she sound when she talks? It is imperative. They let a bit of the accent stay only if I’m playing a South Indian. But when it comes to the South industry, there are so many North Indian girls who have become big names in Tamil and Telugu films. We don’t care whether they can talk in Tamil or not.”

And hence, she has lost out on roles in both industries: “I’ve missed out on so many roles because my Hindi was not up to the mark. Like, I can’t play a Punjabi girl, and that’s ok. But, a Punjabi girl can play a South Indian girl. It has happened to me. Someone else was chosen over me for a project in the South, and same person was chosen over me in the North as well. Where do I go?”