It has been 30 years on 25 August since Simran debuted in cinema with the 1995 Hindi film Sanam Harjai. Through the years, the actor gained popularity for her roles in Tamil and Telugu films, with her even ruling the roost in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In an interview with Chennai Times, Simran, however, revealed that Bollywood wasn’t well-aware of her body of work while offering her roles.

Simran on why she isn’t working in Bollywood

Simran hasn’t done as many Hindi projects as she has in Tamil or Telugu. Her most recent Hindi projects were Gulmohar and Tiger 3, apart from the web series Citadel: Honey Bunny on Prime Video. Talking about how her experience varied between these teams, she said, “I haven’t met many people in Hindi who are good at heart and welcoming, but with Gulmohar, it was a very good team. So, we made a very good film. Around the same time, I did another project, where I did not connect at all.”

The actor also claimed that in Bollywood, she is still asked to send in test reels to see if she suits a role or not, making her decide she wouldn’t work with people who don’t know her body of work. “And while I’m OK with look tests, many in Bollywood still ask me to send them test videos to see if I’d suit a role, and want me to work for one-tenth of what I’m paid here. So, I’ve decided that I’d do Hindi projects only if they are actually aware of me,” she said.

Recent work

This year, Simran starred in the Tamil films Sabdham and Tourist Family. She also made a cameo in the Ajith Kumar-starrer Good Bad Ugly, which was well-received. She is now filming for a project titled The Last One, while Dhruva Natchathiram, with Vikram, has been stuck without a release date in sight due to financial and legal issues.