Seema Pahwa Says She May Leave Bollywood Soon: ‘Creative People Have Been Murdered, Businessmen Have Taken Over'

Seema Pahwa, celebrated for her memorable performances in films like 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', 'Dream Girl 2', 'Bareilly Ki Barfi', has revealed she may soon bid farewell to the film industry.

Seema Pahwa shared that while she often receives praise for her acting skills, she has yet to be offered a leading role.

Source : Instagram/@seemabhargavapahwa

Veteran actress Seema Pahwa, celebrated for her memorable performances in films like 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', 'Dream Girl 2', 'Bareilly Ki Barfi', and 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan', has revealed she may soon bid farewell to the film industry. In a candid conversation with Bollywood Thikana, Seema spoke about her growing disillusionment with the current state of Bollywood, lamenting the lack of substantial opportunities despite her acclaimed body of work.

Seema might leave the industry soon

Seema shared that while she often receives praise for her acting skills, she has yet to be offered a leading role. Opening up about her feelings, she said, "So, a question arises in my mind — maybe I am good, but not good enough for someone to make a film with me in the lead. There is a sense of grievance, but then I think perhaps I have some limitations, which is why I wasn't cast as the lead. Toh main industry se bhut zayada uss peak pe pahunch gayi hun jahan mujhe lag raha hai bhut jldi namaste kardeni hogi industry ko (I have reached a point in the industry where I feel I will soon have to say goodbye to it).."

Seema on current state of Bollywood

Reflecting on her experience, Seema didn’t hold back from criticising the current atmosphere in Bollywood. She expressed her concern about how business interests are overshadowing creativity. "The state of the industry is very bad right now. Creative people have been murdered, and businessmen have taken over. They want to run the industry with their business mindset. But I don’t think we, who have worked for so many years in the industry, can work like this,” she said.

She further elaborated on how senior actors and creative minds are increasingly being sidelined. According to her, the industry now prioritises commercial success over storytelling or genuine performances. "I understand they want to earn money, but maybe they don’t need people like us. They leave us out, calling us purane log (old-fashioned people), and tell us, ‘Your thought process is very old.’ They believe that only commercial elements make a film work, not an actor or the story."

Despite her frustrations, Seema Pahwa continues to remain active in cinema for now. She will soon be seen in the upcoming film 'Bhool Chuk Maaf', portraying Rajkummar Rao’s mother. Directed by Karan Sharma, the film also features Wamiqa Gabbi, Zakir Hussain, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Mishra, and Jay Thakkar in pivotal roles. 'Bhool Chuk Maaf' is slated for a theatrical release on May 9.