- By Sidhi Agarwall
- Sun, 03 Aug 2025 07:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Actress Barkha Singh, who recently earned praise for her serious role in the popular legal drama Criminal Justice 4, has spoken candidly about the challenges of making it in the entertainment industry without insider connections. Known for her bubbly roles in web shows and rom-coms, Barkha took a refreshing turn as Shivani Mathur, a no-nonsense lawyer, in the show. The performance not only broke her stereotyped image but also proved her versatility as an actor. While the digital space has created a new avenue for talent, Barkha in an exclusive conversation with The Daily Jagran, pointed out that the struggle to transition into mainstream Bollywood cinema is still very real.
Barkha Singh, speaking to The Daily Jagran, reflected on the industry's habit of typecasting. She shared, “The industry tends to box people, male or female, based on what roles they’ve done before,” she said. “It’s not a personal attack, but it’s often a safer bet for producers.” According to her, this trend, coupled with a slowdown in new projects, makes it increasingly hard for actors to break the mould and get fresh opportunities. “It’s still a lot more difficult to land a Bollywood film, especially when you’re not an insider,” she admitted. “I just feel that a lot more opportunities would come to me if I was one.”
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However, Barkha was quick to clarify that she doesn’t believe working in OTT is easier than doing Bollywood films. “Both are equally difficult,” she claimed. “The opportunities to feature in a Bollywood film for someone like me are lesser than the opportunities I get to feature in an OTT film or an OTT show.”
Furthermore, she continued, “A better way of putting this is if I was an insider, maybe I would have gotten more opportunities. I wouldn’t say that I’m not getting opportunities because I’m not an insider. I have done Bollywood films. It’s not that I’ve not gotten opportunities. I just feel that a lot more would come to me if I was an insider.”
Barkha Singh’s Work Front
The 33-year-old actress made her Bollywood debut in the 2002 movie Mujhse Dosti Karoge. The movie starred Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Rani Mukerji in the lead. In the movie Barkha Singh played the role of a young Tina (Kareena Kapoor) in the film. With time, she has worked in various web series such as Engineering Girls, Masaba Masaba, Please Find Attached, and Murder Meri Jaan. She has also featured in films like 36 Farmhouse, The Great Weddings of Munnes, and The Sabarmati Report, reflect her commitment and talent.