‘Didn’t want to be treated as a prop’: Ayesha Jhulka on quitting Bollywood, ‘putting an end’ to being a glam girl

Ayesha Jhulka, who gained popularity for her role in films like Khiladi and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, shared why she decided to step away from the Hindi film industry.

Ayesha Jhulka took a break from Hindi films as she didn't want to be just a 'glam girl'. (Express Archive Photo)

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It’s been a while since Bollywood actor Ayesha Jhulka appeared on the big screen. Her last big-screen appearance was in the 2018 film Genius. Recently, the actor, who gained popularity for her role in films like Khiladi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Masoom and others, shared why she decided to step away from the Hindi film industry.

Ayesha, in a new interview, shared how she felt that though her characters in movies have different names, they were all ‘similar’. Explaining her reason for her sabbatical from films, Jhulka told ETimes, “I felt that if I associate myself with a project, I should be able to add value to it. But that can only happen if I am given a chance to perform. If that was not happening and I was being treated as a prop in a project, then it was not really worth my time. So I had to put an end to those roles.”

After her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Khiladi, Jhulka wanted to be recognised for her acting chops and not just for her glamorous looks. “Every actress wants an upgrade, wants to be known for her acting skills and not just as a glam girl. I wanted that too..” she added. Instead, the actor was repeatedly only expected to be a “clotheshorse, do the typical song-dance routine, get romanced by the hero and look beautiful.” And, this didn’t sit well with Jhulka and the kind of cinema she doing didn’t ‘satisfy’. Hence, she decided to put her energy elsewhere.

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Ayesha Jhulka with Akshay Kumar in Khiladi. (Express archive photo)

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Like many others, Ayesha Jhulka has tried her luck in the OTT space. She was last seen in Prime Video’s show Happy Family: Conditions Apply where she starred alongside Ratna Pathak Shah, Raj Babbar, and Atul Kulkarni, among others. Going forward, the actor wants to do roles which require her to do something.

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