Farida Jalal is disappointed that makers don't think she can do more than ‘maa’ and ‘dadi’

Farida Jalal Pic/X

Farida Jalal, who recently made an impactful presence in the OTT space with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar', has only been handed motherly roles, much to her disappointment. In an interview with Times of India, the veteran actress compared the scenario with her male counterparts such as Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri, stating that they've always done versatile roles.

Farida ventured into the space of playing motherly roles in the 1990s. Who could forget her terrific stint as an empathetic mother to Kajol in the landmark film of Hindi cinema, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' followed by ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', ‘Bichhoo' - the Indian ripoff of ‘Leon: The Professional' in which she played the role of Jeeva's mother and several others.

She said, "I'm waiting for a challenging role where I can showcase my versatility. I feel ki chalo, ek aur maa ka role laaye, aur ek dadi ka role laaye mere liye. Same wahi sab kuch (I felt let it be, more mother and grandmother roles are being offered as usual. It is all the same.) I'm disappointed that makers don't think I can do more than that. I want to do something exciting."

"My male counterparts got to do so much. From the late Amrish Puri to Anupam Kher, they played villains as well as comedians so well. They were not limited to playing only fathers or dadas on screen, but unfortunately, I have been given just one slot," she added.

Farida Jalal started her journey at 17 with the film ‘Taqdeer', a role offered to her by Tarachand Barjatya, grandfather of Sooraj Barjatya. She went on to essay several characters in cinema, both mainstream and parallel films, but the first phase of her getting typecast started when she was offered the role of Dilip Kumar's sister in ‘Gopi'.

What followed was a string of roles of the hero's sister where she went on to work with the likes of Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Manoj Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, and Amitabh Bachchan.

The actress has kept a good mix of cinema and television in her illustrious career. She has been a part of the iconic Indian sitcom ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh', and the show ‘Shararat'.

In ‘Heeramandi' she played the role of Qudsia Begum, the grandmother to Taha Shah Badussha's character of Tajdar, Nawab.

(With inputs from IANS)