Manipur-based actor Bijou Thaangjam recently opened up on facing discrimination by the makers of Alia Bhatt's Jigra. And now, he has revealed that he was asked to play a "derogatory" and "stereotypical" character in Alia's earlier film, Kapoor & Sons, and that he had walked out of the audition.
It is to be noted that both Kapoor & Sons and Jigra have been produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Thaangjam told Times Now that while he does not hold any grudges against Alia or the production house, the Jigra incident was the second time he was let down by them.
The actor said that he was hyped by the casting director of Kapoor & Sons that he will get the role, and he even asked Thaangjam to reach the audition dressed up like a rockstar.
"When I went deeper, I got to know it was a very derogatory and stereotyped character. The role was of a Nepali guy who takes care of Alia Bhatt’s house. They make fun of him for being a little dumb. I was told something else and when I got the script, it was of a Nepali housekeeper," he shared.
"I got so offended because I got dressed properly and nicely groomed. When they told me the script, I got offended and refused it. I didn’t want to audition for something so stereotypical," he added.
Thaangjam stated that he does not want to work with people who do not respect his community, even if they belong to a big production house.
Earlier this week, Thaangjam had stated that the makers of Jigra locked him for a role in the Alia Bhatt-starrer, but never contacted him again. He said that he lost out on other projects as he was waiting to shoot for Jigra, but the makers went incommunicado.
"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," he had said.
