India, May 3 -- Anjali Anand has been on a roll over the past few months, with two successful web shows, Raat Jawaan Hai (2024) and Dabba Cartel (2025). While she admits that it has been tough bagging meaty roles in an industry that has stereotyped notions about female actors and their bodies, she is glad that perceptions are finally changing, albeit slowly. Anjali says, "Everybody has a different struggle and obviously with my body, it's a bit harder. I don't feel I am different, but the society has created that perception. I believe I am special and I don't feel like a bechari. It's all about how you see yourself." The 33-year-old notes that the West has started looking beyond an actor's body size, but it is still an issue in India: "(Actor) Adam Sandler is the biggest example. They call him egg-shaped, but he wears T-shirts and shorts and does everything. Har type ke log hote hain, and they don't have a problem there, but here they do." Recalling her early struggles, Anjali shares, "When I entered this industry, people said that I am overweight. I came here to act, and I had to prove myself again and again to remind them. After I did (TV show) Dhai Kilo Prem, they said that I won't get another lead character unless I lose weight. But in three months, I returned as a leading lady on the same channel." She adds, "Makers are not yet ready to cast me as lead in movies, and I have accepted that. They are not yet ready to see me on posters or dancing on songs. But they will be, I will make them ready. We need more people like Shibani Dandekar (producer, Dabba Cartel) and Sumeet Vyas (director, Raat Jawaan Hai) who will step out of their comfort zone and cast someone purely on the basis of that what they can deliver." Anjali was also in the news recently after her story about facing molestation as a child connected with a lot of people. However, the actor says that the attention was "overwhelming". "I didn't expect so many people to reach out. I have been giving interviews for eight years, but no one cared. Now, suddenly they do," she admits, adding, "It takes a lot of guts to be vulnerable. But I am all for it. I'm all for feeling my emotions as much as I can. They help me as an actor as well as a human being."...