Power of the female gaze

Anjali Sivaraman

Still in the early days of her career, Anjali Sivaraman has bagged an international project in filmmaker Mira Nair's Amri. What's next? Well, the actor is eyeing Hindi cinema. "Hopefully, my next project will be in Hindi films. I haven't signed anything yet, but I am reading a lot [of scripts]. I'm hoping to be a part of at least one," said Sivaraman, who has caught the attention of many filmmakers since her turn in the Tamil outing, Bad Girl (2025).

Even as the actor takes her time to decide her next, she has her wish list of Bollywood directors ready. "I want to work with Zoya Akhtar and Meghna Gulzar," she shared, adding that she is particularly keen to team up with female directors. Reason? "They have such a strong voice and incredibly strong female characters."

Meghna Gulzar and Zoya Akhtar

If she has her wish list worked out, she is also certain of her "non-negotiables". "I try to stay away from roles that are ‘best friend oriented' or ‘hot girlfriend oriented'. I like to play layered, complex characters to whom I can bring some humanity."

She broke out with the Netflix web series, ‘Class', which was an adaptation of the Spanish hit ‘Elite'

Exercising her vision, however, comes at the risk of alienating opportunities. That's a risk she is willing to take. "It's difficult to even get yourself into the room that gets you an opportunity. Then to say no is heart-breaking. I have said no with the fear that the person will think that I'm unprofessional or blacklist me; or now that I said no, will I ever get another opportunity? I continue to face these insecurities. But at the end of the day, my self-belief has to be greater than my insecurities," she said.

Why you gotta know Anjali Sivaraman

The actor's next is Mira Nair's much anticipated project ‘Amri', a biopic on Hungarian-Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil