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Born to actor parents, Anjali Anand, despite being a trained actor and dancer, struggled to find work. After exhausting her savings, Anjali decided to quit acting altogether and move abroad. However, just when she was ready to close the chapter on her acting career, she landed a role in a Karan Johar film, after which she was cast in a lead role in Dhamaal 4. Recalling the period, Anjali, in a chat with Farah Khan on her YouTube channel, said that her mother was in utter disbelief when she went to meet Karan Johar. “Badi aayi Karan Johar se milne wali,” she said.
Anjali had previously gained recognition for her work in television shows such as Dhhai Kilo Prem and Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala, and said that she was at the lowest point of her life when Karan Johar offered her a role in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Anjali played Ranveer Singh’s sister and had a strong part in the film.
“I was at the lowest point of my life in 2020. I was considering leaving India and quitting acting altogether. I was not getting any acting offers. The pandemic had happened, all my savings were exhausted, and I was living alone on rent for six months. I remember my friends had dragged me to Goa when I received a message from Shanoo Sharma. She said, ‘Babe, call me’,” she said. Shanoo Sharma works as a casting director for YRF and Karan Johar.
Recalling her earlier meetings with Shanoo, Anjali said, “Whenever I used to meet her for roles, she would tell me, ‘When you lose weight, we will do something.’” Sharma is a casting director associated with YRF. Anjali’s mother recalled how she would react whenever her daughter went for auditions. “When she went for auditions, I said from behind, ‘She won’t make it this time too,’” she said.
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Anjali recalled her mother’s reaction when she told her she was going to meet Karan Johar. “My mother told me, ‘Badi aayi Karan Johar se milne jaa rahi hai.’ I said, ‘Mummy, I am actually going to meet him.’”
Her mother explained that her comment came from a place of concern. “My point was that she doesn’t have any backing or godfather in the industry,” she said.
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Anjali then recalled how she eventually landed the role in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. “When I met Shanoo, she said, ‘Karan saw your photo and he liked it. He is looking for an actor for this part, and if you crack this audition, then he will take you.’ Then she was like, ‘When he saw you for the first ten seconds, he liked you.’” She added, “He wanted an actor. There were a lot of influencers as well for that part.”
Her mother recalled the moment Anjali returned from the audition. “When she returned from the audition, she told me, ‘Haan, ho gaya!’ I was like, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘I cracked it.’”
As the conversation progressed, Anjali revealed that her mother had a rather different opinion of Dhamaal 4, in which she played a lead role. “My mother called Dhamaal a one-time watch. She thought I was just average,” Anjali said.
Anjali has previously spoken about facing discrimination in the industry because of her weight. In an interview with SCREEN, she recalled being given roles that mocked her appearance. “I was in Bell Bottom only so that one terrorist could fall on top of me and get caught in the film,” she said. Explaining how such experiences affected her, she added, “Such roles get offered to me because I am fat, and it hurts when people just try to make fun of it. They are not even seeing if I am a good actor or not. They just judge me on my body. According to them, I don’t fit the standards, but then, for them, even Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai are not good enough. Even Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have faced criticism. These are just people who want to have an opinion just because they can. Their belief won’t change your reality.”
