Aditi Bhatia recalls getting rejected and losing work for being ‘too beautiful’; says, ‘I don’t want to be just a pretty face’

Aditi Bhatia, who’s been a part of several popular TV shows and movies, has often kept fans updated with her personal as well as professional life. She recently appeared for a roundtable podcast with Pinkvilla, where she shared about her journey. While recalling the projects she has lost, she mentioned how she avoids going for ‘look-centric roles.’ The actress also revealed being rejected for being ‘too pretty.’


While opening up about incidents where she lost roles for being ‘too pretty,’ she said, “To be very honest, I genuinely enjoy being part of the beauty space, the beauty market, the brand side of things. I truly like it. But over the years, I conditioned myself to not take up roles that are offered just based on how I look. I wanted to step away from what I’m mostly known for and do something that would feel unexpected, something that brings a sense of surprise.”



She further said, “Even when I was exploring opportunities before my last project, I was inclined towards roles that were not look-centric. Roles where casting didn’t depend on my appearance, but rather on the performance I could bring to the table. I always wanted that to be the highlight because I didn’t want to be seen as just a ‘pretty face.’ And I know saying that might sound a bit off or even arrogant, but it’s really about wanting to offer more as an artist.”


Talking about how she enjoys the beauty space, she said, “While I enjoy the beauty space, I’ve always wanted to go beyond it, and fortunately, I got the chance to do that in my last film. I hope that opens doors to more such roles where people start seeing me differently. Also, I feel most beautiful when I wear Indian outfits. I connect deeply with that part of myself. It’s not like I’m some ‘firang’; I’m very much Indian. I have no roots elsewhere; my entire lineage is Indian. But I do understand that I don’t necessarily fit into the conventional idea of an ‘Indian look,’ and that sometimes affects casting choices because they often look for a certain kind of face.”


Aditi shared that while she has lost projects over this reason, it has not happened too often. She said, “Even if my acting is a 10/10, sometimes they still say, ‘We’d rather cast someone who naturally looks the part.’ And my response is always, ‘But I can look the part—just work with me on it.’ That said, these kinds of roadblocks haven’t happened too often. There have only been a few instances where I’ve felt this way.”


“I was also very clear in my head that I didn’t want to take up something just for the sake of it. It’s not that I was against doing music videos or anything like that, but I wanted whatever I chose to be acting-oriented, especially since I was kind of starting again in a way. I didn’t want my work to revolve around my looks, because that’s already something people see on my Instagram,” she concluded.