A soft beauty, an attractive actress, and someone who’s made a mark for herself having moved on from the space of television to the big screen world of Bollywood, Mrunal Thakur is a familiar name today in the entertainment industry. An actor whose best days are ahead of her, Mrunal Thakur is going strong with one film after another. She recently made a mark in the famous Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super30, released in 2019, where she played the romantic interest of the ‘Greek God’ of Bollywood. And where her latest flick is concerned, then it was her beautiful presence in Farhan Akhter-starrer Toofan that catapulted her to the headlines.
Having once been an actress who starred mostly in television shows, such as- Mujhse Kuchh Kehti…Yeh Khamoshiyaan (which appeared on TV screen in 2012) and later, the more renowned show Kumkum Bhagya (2014 onward), Murnal Thakur, it ought to be said, has climbed the famous stairway up to success.
But then, at the same time where fame and glamour strike you, becoming your constant companions, there always are issues like casting couch that threaten to derail one’s journey in the starry film-world, causing a kind of mental trauma that’s hard to get rid of. In many cases, one has seen that women who are troubled by casting couch suffer from a scar that threatens their career, causing them to leave their dreams midway or halfway through.
That’s been the story of so many strugglers and newbies who land in the city of dreams, Mumbai to forge their own path to success, though realising little about the mortal dangers that lurk around them in broad daylight.
Getting candid with a renowned Bollywood publication, actress Mrunal Thakur (who hails from Nagpur, Maharashtra), happened to share her piece of mind where it comes to casting couch, speaking on the subject of how to deal with it.
And the following thoughts came to light:
“I never experienced casting couch, and I always had a strong motivation about myself, and what I intended to achieve. I told myself what I wanted. If at any point in time, I felt that things were not fine, it takes a lot of effort but I have said no and walked off.”
The Toofan-actress shared that she never considered any part as being her last opportunity and also shared that it takes some courage to walk away from a project that would pose a threat or had some kind of notoriety about it.
At times, it’s boundless faith in one’s abilities and ceaseless optimism that paves way for success. That being told, Mrunal Thakur also alluded to the fact that what helped her was also the realisation that while she was in Bollywood to become an actress, it never really meant that she would become the actress of a particular film whose director or producer or any powerful crew member would subject her to an awkward and undesirable situation.
So the best thing to do in Bollywood, it appears, as per Mrunal, is to be clear in one’s head that while you are here to act and make a name for yourself, you mustn’t stoop down and let anyone walk over you or your self-respect and integrity.
At the end of the day, one is by his or her own side in this journey. And one has to be his or her own best friend.