Pragati Mehra opens up on age discrimination

With shows such as Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Uttaran and Chhoti Bahu in her kitty, actress Pragati Mehra is one to put aside her insecurities and continue to walk the path of success. The actress admits that looking a certain way on screen gets stressful at times. But she has found a way to deal with it, as she says, “I have never been a thin person all my life. Everyone around me loves to feed the thought that an actor has to be a certain size. So yes, that did make me insecure to an extent and it still does sporadically. But then I see actors 10 years younger than me, as thin as sticks, and still playing the same on screen character as me. So, the thought crosses my mind at times but vanishes faster than it appeared.”

Ask if she is satisfied with the way her career has shaped up and Pragati says, “That’s a mixed bag! I am satisfied that I have two huge hits of Indian TV – Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Uttaran – in my body of work, and also iconic shows like Chhoti Bahu. But I have kind of been typecast and have been bagging strong or negative characters in the 40 years age bracket, even when I was not 40. Now that I am in the age bracket, some real good scripts go past because people have only seen me play a matriarch. I have never got an opportunity to play a slice-of-life character.”