'Was asked to wear fat suit for daily soap which I declined': Roopal Tyagi speaks about her recent open letter

A few days ago, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke actor Roopal Tyagi took to her Instagram page and penned an open letter where she called out the 'regressive nature' of Indian television shows. She wrote about how the female lead actors are always shown in a bad light. Roopal had penned, "You think you make a show about a ‘dark’ skinned girl, a ‘short’ girl, a ‘fat’ girl etc and about the problems they face and call it a progressive show. No."

Now during an interaction with HT Cafe, Tyagi spoke at length about what prompted her to write the letter. She stated, "It was not a spur of the moment decision. I knew saying anything wasn’t going to make a difference to anyone’s life. Recently, when I met a young, teenage girl, I was appalled to know that her family addressed her by a TV character’s name because just like the character, she is dark and fat. It disturbed me and played a major role in me speaking up. With the post, if I have changed even one person’s view, then it was worth it."

 

 

 

 

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 on Feb 16, 2020 at 9:21pm PST

On being quizzed about receiving a positive response to the letter, Roopal replied, "Even they agree that many sensitive topics aren’t treated with sensitivity in TV shows. Many serials start with the intention of highlighting social evils that need attention, but somewhere the focus shifts. On the other hand, when actors who haven’t worked in a while, get offers for such shows, they have no option other than taking it up? A few months ago, I was asked to wear a fat suit for a daily soap which I declined."