When Mrunal Thakur was told she won’t get films as her ‘face is overexposed’ on TV: ‘No director will give you chance’

Actor Mrunal Thakur had once spoken about how she was discouraged from auditioning for films as her face was ‘too over exposed’ after working in television. In an old interview, Mrunal also revealed that people told her no director would give her a chance to work in films. The actor recalled that in the initial years of her career, it would take nearly eight months to get a film. (Also Read | Mrunal Thakur on playing Sriti Jha’s sister in Kumkum Bhagya)

Mrunal started her career in television with Mujhse Kuchh Kehti…Yeh Khamoshiyaan (2012-13). In 2014, she featured in Kumkum Bhagya. She made her debut in films with Vitti Dandu (2014) and her first Hindi film was Love Sonia (2018). She has since featured in several films such as Super 30, Batla House, Ghost Stories, Toofaan, Dhamaka and Jersey.

Speaking on The Ranveer Show earlier this year, Mrunal recalled, “Earlier it wasn’t so easy to get films, every day was a struggle on shoots, to get a job, to give auditions, look tests. After that, there would be two more tests followed by pairing with actor. It would take 6-8 months for me to get a film. For my second film, my director told me, ‘I want to do the narration if you like the story, we’ll go for it’. And I was like, ‘I don’t have to give an audition?’ He was like, ‘Are you mad? I’m telling you the story’. I said, ‘It has never happened with me’.”

On her shift from television to films and getting big projects, she said, “It was difficult. Sometimes I feel I don’t have ego or self-respect. Those who used to say no to me, I used to go to them for audition and tell them. ‘Sir take a test at least’. For the audition, you were made to sit in a room with 20-30 other people preparing a script… My career in TV was going well and other actors would ask me, ‘You’re doing so well in your career, why do you need to sit in this queue? You don’t need to sit in this queue’. I was like, ‘Let’s do something different’. Ahead of my auditions, people told me, ‘Why do you want to audition? You’re doing good on TV. No one will take you in films because your face is too overexposed. You have entered the daughter and daughter-in-law vibe. I don’t think any director will give you a chance’.”

Mrunal currently has several films in the pipeline including Navjot Gulati’s Pooja Meri Jaan along with Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz. She is also a part of the upcoming crime thriller film Gumraah along with Aditya Roy Kapur. Helmed by debutant director, Vardhan Ketkar, Gumraah is an official Hindi remake of a Tamil hit action-thriller film Thadam. She will be next seen in Sita Ramam along with Dulquer Salmaan and Rashmika Mandanna.