Ambitious Women Are Criticised, Says Actor Anchal Singh | Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein Interview

Anchal Singh is riding high on the success of her latest OTT release Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, a thriller she leads with a powerful character that audiences don't see much of on-screen. She plays the role of Purva, a ruthless politician's daughter, who is on a passionate pursuit of a small-town boy whose romantic interests lie elsewhere. She doesn't flinch at striking down every virtue in her way, her eyes set on a one-stop goal: to get the boy she wants.

Despite the antagonist Purva is being perceived as by many fans, Singh says she is not a negative figure. "She's just not this white and black character," she tells SheThePeople in an interview. The role was built of multiple dimensions and paradoxes, she says. "She proudly wears her fantasies and desires on her sleeve. She's very daring that way... very goal-oriented."

Tahir Raj Bhasin stars as Vikrant, the love interest of both Singh's Purva and ">Shweta Tripathi's Shikha, in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein. The show, directed by Sidharth Sengupta, premiered January 14 on Netflix.

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Singh has worked in the entertainment industry across languages, with multiple credits to her name. She made her debut with the Sri Lankan film Sri Siddhartha Gautama, which was a major hit. Her notable appearances in Hindi films include Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Holiday, and Tamil film Dhilluku Dhuddu. She played a central role in the 2020 web series Undekhi. Singh has reportedly also been a part of several hundred commercials. More here.

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Having spent a significant period of time in the industry, Singh says there are still many stereotypes that need to be done away with here, one of them being the representation of women.

"A lot of times at auditions, when I ask what the character I am supposed to play is like, they tell me she is very bubbly, very chirpy. We still get stereotyped that way," she chuckles.

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Grey women characters are hard to come by on mainstream content even today. In recent times, Hindi cinema has managed to break the mould to some extent with the odd layered character like Dhankor Baa in RamLeela or Raji in Family Man who break away from conventional 'vampy' stereotypes. But the villain-verse remains comfortably male.

OTT seems to be changing that with deeper, darker storylines that aren't afraid of exploring newer avenues for women actors.

"Purva, for instance, is actually a positive character. She just has shades of grey," Singh says. The tendency to conflate these characteristics with negativity still happens, both on-screen and off.

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"We have been conditioned to think that women always need to be supporters or providers, whereas that's not the case. Women who are ambitious or have a goal in life and want to aggressively pursue it are really criticised. Even in films, we have been show that career-oriented women cannot manage their households."

Singh here, cites the example of her mother and how, as a working woman, she balanced both her work and home lives seamlessly.

On what her 2022 calendar looks like, Singh hints at something lined up to come out soon but is waiting for an official statement to make it public. Right now, she is just basking in the glow of the love people are showering on her for her latest release.