2019 In Recap: The Bollywood Actresses Roundtable 2019

The Actresses Roundtable 2019

2019’s roundtable for actresses included Bhumi Pednekar, Vidya Balan, Alia Bhatt, Yamu Gautam and Taapsee Pannu. All mature grown ladies and then there’s Alia Bhatt! It’s not really her fault, she does behave like she’s really young, which she is, with her enthusiasm and all that.

In the second of CNN-News18’s year-end Bollywood Roundtable series, meet the five ladies who delivered some of the strongest performances at #TheActressesRoundtable2019. #RajeevMasand sat down with #AliaBhatt (for #GullyBoy), #VidyaBalan (for #MissionMangal), #BhumiPednekar (for #SaandKiAankh and #Bala), #TaapseePannu (for #Badla and #SaandKiAankh) and #YamiGautam (for #Bala), and spoke to them about the films they’d like to do but don’t get offered, and the advice they wish someone had given them at the start of their career. This show first aired on #CNNNews18 on December 21 2019.

Bhumi and Yami have interesting inputs, especially Yami but maybe it’s because she has a nice voice. Isn’t it interesting how Bhumi had nothing after her first film and in 2019 alone, she was in 3 big hits. Yami too had a dull period, but she bounced back in her own quiet way. Yami tells a funny incident on the time she went too deep during her first audition. And why is it see America Ferrera every time we look at Bhumi?

Vidya nicely listens to everyone and indulges with them when they talk, especially some of Alia’s so-so moments. She got enough time to share her struggles, the time when her films didn’t do well, her upcoming project and so on. Her earrings look freaking heavy, though!

Taapsee and Bhumi look like they are OK with each other. There’s no room for cat fights in today’s day and age, because they focus on putting that in blind items.

Wouldn’t it have been nice, though, if Kalki Koechlin was also invited the same way Vijay Varma was? If Vidya is there from Mission Mangal, why are the other actresses in the film not there?

Taapsee’s performance in Badla was overrated, we think. Watching the film, we kept thinking how some other actress would have done much better. We didn’t feel sh!t for her character, but then again when you have Big B and Amrita Singh in the same picture, your performance is bound to get overshadowed.

Alia, what in the world is she wearing? She reminds us of a pastry. Or she looks like she has spilled something there and had to wrap the table cloth to cover it. Deepika wore something similar last week and it looked horrible!!

This is a trend no one wants so please make it stop. Innerwear is meant to be inner not outer!

Alia gave about 3 quotes that her father sent her on this roundtable because…obviously she can’t talk about his 3 chappals. It was funny listening to her talk about her two failures by trying to make it sound like she’s in the same boat as the other ladies. Bear in mind, the other ladies don’t have the backing of a certain KebabJo. None of these ladies can afford to pack off and go for a holiday if their third film flops badly.

There was no #MeToo talks on this roundtable because they pretty much covered it in 2018. Speaking of 2018, Rani Mukerji aka Malkin was not on 2019’s roundtable. Did she not want to come because of the drama she caused last year or is it something else? We don’t think we saw Rajeev interview her either for Mardaani 2. Maybe her people is keeping her away from him since all that drama happened on his show.

Kangana Ranaut also wasn’t present, which must have been because Rajeev didn’t invite her since her sister blasted him on social media. He didn’t interview her either for her last release.

Obviously, Rajeev cannot have Kangana and Alia in the same room so he made his choice. If we go by how the trends looked last year on Rajeev’s collumn, it did seem that she was chosen  to be on this roundtable to make KJo happy.

The ladies have a different take on the controversies that hit 2019. Bhumi’s dark face make-up for Bala, the choice of having Taapsee & Bhumi playing older characters and the biggest controversy of all, Kabir Singh!

It’s nice to hear Vidya is in touch with Shahid despite what happened between them. Probably watching Kabir Singh brought back bad memories for Vidya, which explains why she said she hated the main character. She didn’t say what Shahid told her in response, though.

All three versions of 2019’s biggest hit was the same, despite every actor saying it isn’t. The ladies were asked if the film glorified abuse against women. We think the film only glorified abuse to those who get inspired by it. It’s the same thing when item songs or X-rated scenes inspire the audience to do wrong things.

When watching Arjun Reddy, we thought the character was an A-hole, narcissistic, creep, MCP and all that. And we also thought any girl would be stupid or dumb to be with a guy like this. Men like Arjun Reddy exist, which is how they made this story. It’s nothing shocking! Domestic abuse will be there whether this movie exists or not. The fact that it is such a big hit proves that many people identified with this movie. Bear in mind, Arjun Reddy was called a cult film when it released, a film that changed the youth! Speaking of which, didn’t some guy kill the girl he liked because he got inspired by the film?

Luckily in Bollywood, no one thought the same! Maybe because the critics and journalists, who watched the film, dared to question its intention and message.

Now onto the next discussion.