Meher Vij's Struggle Against Typecasting: The Real Story Behind Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Secret Superstar

It can be tough for the actors to break free from the shadows of the characters that the famous leave behind. Especially when the actresses gain recognition through sensitive portrayals of a mother in successful movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Secret Superstar. Such roles did bring her much appreciation, but they put her in a role that hasn’t helped the actress go around much about her career. It’s pretty interesting how Meher Vij opens up about getting frustrated with typecasting and that her journey is trying to break free from these very confines. She would like to see girl characters come to life, powerful, fleshed out as Razia, and not to get stuck in this mold of a typecasting of just a woman acting. Also read: CID Returns: Reviving the Legacy of India’s Favorite Crime Drama with a Remarkable Comeback After Six Years

It is a true inspiration to the reader, full of resilience and self-discovery by the very brave actress Meher Vij who fought in this harsh industry.

Finding Her Breakthrough

The breakthrough came into Meher’s life in the form of Razia, the mother of Munni, when, in 2015, she managed to bag a role in the much-acclaimed film “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”. This was Kabir Khan’s film, Salman Khan, and a love story that transcended borders and humanity. Her role was important but quietly influential—a mother who had lost her child and endured every mother’s worst nightmare. It was a role that was difficult and rewarding, but also set the stage for typecasting that followed.

After “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, the flood of offers started pouring in, but they all seemed to repeat the role of Razia, every time with some minor modifications but under the same identity. Producers would look at her as a quintessential mother, a woman who could take on hardships with ease and strength. Meher realized why the filmmakers would be drawn towards such roles but also the danger it posed. As she once recalled in an interview with NDTV, she started to ask herself if she could ever transcend this character type, move beyond this mother quietly enduring.

A Similar Story with "Secret Superstar"

Then came “Secret Superstar”, which was produced by Aamir Khan. Here again, she is playing a mother to a girl young enough to dream of a singing career against an oppressive setup at home. She again gets claps. And she goes out as Najma, all her sympathies pouring for her and gritting her voice to improve prospects for her child. However, with every such character, Meher feels that she has been working to add more of the kind of typecasting only.

Meher openly confessed that “Secret Superstar” had the unfortunate side effect of making her an actress only motherly figure. With all the offers coming her way, she found that they were all too similar. She said, “I got a lot of offers, but what I didn’t get was the work that I would want to do.”. I don’t want to be seen in a box.” The frustration of only seeing herself through one filter led her to question if women could do more beyond their previous roles, because often, previous performances comprised all of an actress’s career.

Rebel in a Box: Not Backing Down Against Typecasting. She realized that she was in the box and had to break free, and for her to do this, she was not afraid of declining certain roles because they would not give her the necessary space to breathe. She can clearly remember taking the conscious stand in saying “no” to these usual roles, but it hurt to do that in an extremely competitive business. Her dream was to do complex characters, which would address a wide range of human experiences and not only in the context of the kind of roles society would think appropriate for women to play on film.

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“I don’t want to be a redundant actress,” she said with a smile. She was not against motherly roles in totality but wanted roles that would give her much in terms of depth of narrative and personality. She had to be resilient with this decision, but she insisted on changing things around. According to her, the desire was not only to test herself but also change how people and filmmakers view her.

Making Room for More Powerful Female Roles

Meher also shared some thoughts on the need for stronger female characters on the big screen. Talking about “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, she said that though her role was impactful, there needed to be more scope for a woman to be dynamic and multiple-layered in an industry. “Women can step up and do some action or take on different roles. They will surprise you,” she said.

It made her observe that an industry with such a predilection for recycling stories seems to reduce the feminine element often to an underdeveloped characterization, restricting their character-growth potential and power of impact. Meher described it as not about only individual roles but as about the responsibility of the industry regarding their portrayal in diversity.

Although the performances in “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and “Secret Superstar” can describe the whole life changing part of her acting, the story of Meher on the silver screen dates way back to the early films that came out of those big banner productions. Meher began her life of silver-screen glamour with “Bekhudi” way back in 1992, before the releases of some blockbusters, like “Lucky: No Time for Love”, “Tum Bin II”, “Bhoot: Part One: The Haunted Ship, and Maharaj. She most recently starred in Bandaa Singh Chaudhary, the film directed by Abhishek Saxena where she was seen in this picture along with Arshad Warsi as well.

These varied roles are testaments to her talent as well as her commitment to defy one single label still lingering in everyone’s minds. Her tenacity will be palpable when she talks about how she bagged her first part in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The casting director, Mukesh Chhabra, reached out after seeing her in an advertisement, and Meher went to the audition with no expectations. Little did she know that the simple inquiry about the mole under her eye would propel her onto one of the most defining stints in her career-this role catapulted and threatened to challenge the trajectory of Meher’s career.

Learning to Choose Wisely

As experience bears its fruit, so does growing self and purpose. As far as Meher was concerned, it meant selective projects. She’s very calculated now when choosing roles that are more aligned with her vision and respect her abilities. The freedom to say “no” has empowered her, giving her the choice to decide on what would make her grow more than making it in the industry, thus breaking the mold rather than following it. This is her growth as an artist and as a person.

Hope and Vision for the Future

Meher sees hope looking ahead. She is actually not out to gain. She’s actually paving ways for more women in show business and is encouraging each of them to break and redefine typecasting and that which would mean playing the woman. She dreams to see the industry where more and more people are just free from being typecast and challenge their roles which inspire them.

As their story goes, the pathway to one’s true form may not be easy, but it is worth it; Meher Vij has marked her target: to go on breaking stereotypes and act in roles close to their hearts and hers. Representing hope and transformation on the path of perseverance with courage and a strong sense of belief in her trade, Meher’s life is a testament to believing in cinema as an empowering force.