National Award didn't suddenly open doors: Geetanjali Thapa

Actor Geetanjali Thapa, who won the National Award for her performance in Liar's Dice, says winning the accolade did not work like a 'godmother's wand' in her career. 

Gearing up for her new film, Onir's Kuch Bheege Alfaaz, which is scheduled to release on Friday, Geetanjali says the prestigious award which she won in 2014 helped her get the kind of work she wanted.

"National Award didn't suddenly open doors. It's not like everything changed overnight. But, yes people started taking me more seriously from that point," says Geetanjali, adding, "But I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing because after receiving the award, filmmakers started thinking that I'd only do serious roles. However, it does help me get the right kind of work." 

The actor essays a role called Archana Pradhan in her next Kuch Bheege Alfaaz.

Another struggle for her has been racial discrimination. In fact, at a press conference, a media person asked her if she belongs to another country, given her distinct looks. Born and raised in Sikkim, Geetanjali says she has faced such bias a lot and that it has become a "part of life."

"I face racial discrimination and I am very open about it. I have been facing it for long, but now I have grown a thick skin I guess," says the actor, who feels it is "very sad" that people discriminate like this.

Nevertheless, Geetanjali says there are filmmakers who don't care about her looks and give her good work. "I have worked with Indian directors from around the country. They still cast me. These filmmakers really don't care how I look and where I am from," says the actor, who debuted in the film world in 2010 with Tina Ki Chaabi and then impressed cinema lovers with her work in Trapped, I.D, Monsoon Shootout, That Day After Everyday and Tigers.

"I have worked with some brilliant filmmakers. There are people who are willing to work with me. I am reading scripts and getting work. I am still in a privileged stage to choose the work I wish. I haven't picked up all the scripts thrown at me."

Currently, in a "happy" phase of life, Geetanjali says "I am glad that I get to do films that I believe in and have fun doing."