Manipur-Based Actor Bijou Thaangjam Calls Out Casting Process In Jigra: 'It Felt Almost Discriminatory...'
After releasing to mixed reviews on October 11, the film has come under criticism from a Manipur-based actor Bijou Thaangjam because of their 'unprofessional behaviour'.
New Delhi: Alia Bhatt's recently released film 'Jigra' has begun courting controversy due to a variety of reasons. After releasing to mixed reviews on October 11, the film has come under criticism from a Manipur-based actor Bijou Thaangjam because of their 'unprofessional behaviour'.
Taking to his official X handle, he shared that he was initially considered for a role in the film but was left in the dark about it owing to which he lost out on other projects and wasted his time.
Bijou Thaangjam on Jigra
Bijou took to his X account on Sunday to share a statement about what happened during the casting process of 'Jigra' last year. He wrote, "I’m not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face.”
"I am not here to jump on the bandwagon on the Jigra controversy over the alleged copying of Divya Khossla Kumar's Savi, but I've been keeping my own experience with the Jigra team under wraps for a while, and maybe it's time to speak up. Back in 2023, I was approached by their casting team to audition for a role. I sent my tapes twice over the span of four months, playing along with their timeline. By the end of November, they told me I'd be shooting in December — fantastic, right? Except they never gave me any firm shoot dates. Still, they booked me for the entire month of December, expecting that I'd be ready to shoot for them at any moment. As someone based in Imphal, Manipur, I made it very clear from the start that travel arrangements would need to be made, but that didn't seem to matter,” it read.
I’m not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face. #Jigra #JigraMovie #AliaBhatt #DivyaKhosla #VasanBala pic.twitter.com/zZBZjxOz6k
— Bijou ThaangJam (@BijouThaangjam) October 13, 2024
"Throughout the month, I was left in the dark, communicating with the casting team but receiving no real updates on when I'd actually be needed. The last message I received was on December 26th, stating 'Waiting for a revert', and after that — complete silence. Meanwhile, I'd lost out on other projects because I was sitting around, waiting for them to give me the go-ahead. But of course, that never came."His statement added.
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He concluded by adding, “I understand how big production houses operate. The director is undeniably talented, but the way they handled this entire situation was deeply unprofessional. For actors like me from the Northeast, it felt particularly dismissive, almost discriminatory. My time was wasted, and I missed out on other opportunities just because they expected I'd be available at a moment's notice. I am not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face.”
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