In a series of candid interviews given recently (late 2025–early 2026) while promoting her lineup of Bollywood projects, the actress opened up about the "snooty" treatment she faced and the hypocrisy regarding casting choices between North and South Indian talent.
Here is a breakdown of her statements that are making headlines.
1. The Casting Hypocrisy: "Why Can't It Be Normalized?" 🎭
Regena pointed out a glaring double standard in how the industry casts specific ethnicities.
The Quote: "I cannot play a Punjabi girl and that's okay. But a Punjabi kudi can easily do a South Indian. This has been my experience."
The Argument: She questioned why North Indian actors are accepted in South Indian roles without batting an eyelid, yet the reverse—a South Indian playing a North Indian character—is seen as impossible or "unrealistic" by casting directors.
The Goal: She stated her aim is to prove that a South Indian actress can pull off a North Indian role, just as her counterparts do in the South.
2. The "Language Barrier" Excuse 🗣️
She dismissed the common excuse that South actors "can't speak Hindi" as a lazy justification for not hiring them.
The Reality: Regena revealed she has hired a Hindi tutor to perfect her diction and can now read and write the Devanagari script better than many native Hindi speakers.
The Frustration: despite this effort, she feels the "language barrier" is still used as a weapon to keep South talent in specific boxes.
3. Bollywood's Attitude: "Snooty" to "Helpless" 📉
The Past: She described her early experiences in Bollywood as uncomfortable, noting that people treated her in a "derogatory manner" and that there was a general "snootiness" towards actors from the South.
The Present: She believes the dynamic has only changed because Bollywood needs the South market now.
"At this point, Bollywood doesn't have much of a choice... Earlier, there was a certain snootiness. Now, they need people from the South for a bigger audience."
4. Context: Why Is She Speaking Now? 🎬
Regena is currently in the middle of a major Bollywood push, which explains her vocal stance.
Name Change: Notably, she recently tweaked the spelling of her name to Regena Cassandrra (adding an extra 'e' and 'r') for numerological reasons.
Upcoming Projects: She is starring in:
'Jaat' with Sunny Deol.
'Section 108' with Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
'The Wives' with Madhur Bhandarkar.
SantaBanta Verdict:
Regena isn't just complaining; she is challenging the status quo while actively working in the very industry she is critiquing. With high-profile releases like Jaat around the corner, she is letting her work—and her flawless Hindi—do the talking.
