Anita Kanwal Reveals Daughter Pooja Faced Casting Couch Calls, Was Pressured To 'Compromise'

Mumbai: Veteran television actress Anita Kanwal has opened up about the traumatic experiences her daughter, actress Pooja Kanwal, faced while trying to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. In a recent interview, Anita revealed that she struggled more for her daughter's dreams than for her own, even turning down work at the peak of her success and accompanying her on shootings, protecting her from the casting couch, which deeply hurt her.

Who is Pooja Kanwal?

Anita Kanwal's daughter, Pooja Kanwal, made her film debut in 2004 with Rajshri Productions' 'Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai' and later appeared in films like 'Jawani Zindabad' and 'Blue Oranges'. However, despite a promising start, she failed to achieve the success she had hoped for in the industry. Pooja eventually quit acting and is now engaged in event hosting and anchoring. Anita said she wanted to fulfill her daughter's dream of becoming an actress.

What about casting couch?

In a podcast, Anita also recalled her experience protecting her daughter from the dark side of the industry. 

"I think I struggled more for Pooja than I ever did for myself because I knew how badly she wanted to become an actress from childhood. She had everything going for her. She was a great dancer, she was good-looking, and she was a capable actress. That’s why I fought so hard for her," she added.

“Today, I am very happy that she did not follow in my footsteps. She is in a much better place in her life now.”

While recalling about how the actress shielded her daughter from the darker side of the entertainment industry, Anita said that, "While she was working in the South, there were people who would call and say all sorts of inappropriate things. Whenever I received such calls, I would give them a piece of my mind. They never called back after that."

What about Anita's career?

Anita, who even put her own career on hold to support her daughter, said that, “I didn’t work for nearly two-and-a-half years. I would travel with her wherever she went for shoots. If she had a shoot in the South, I would go there. If she was shooting in Bangkok, I would accompany her there too. I was struggling alongside her. I left work for two-and-a-half years at the peak of my career because my daughter was only 17 years old. I couldn’t send her alone. As a mother, I felt it was my responsibility to be there for her.”

Did Anita also faced same thing?

Anita revealed that years later, she finds herself facing the same emotions her daughter once grappled with. 

“The pain I am going through today is the same pain she saw and experienced during her own journey.”

“There was a time when I was working on 13 shows simultaneously. It hurts a lot when people stop remembering you. Sometimes it reaches a point where I feel self-destructive. Just three days ago, I told my daughter, ‘Why am I even living? What am I contributing to society or to my craft anymore?’ I have given so much to this industry. I have played every kind of role and received so many awards. So who is to blame, me or the industry?”

Did Anita think about suicide?

In the podcast, Anita also shared about her feelings regarding being one of television’s busiest actresses to struggling for meaningful work has deeply affected her confidence. 

Anita said she often struggles with feelings of purposelessness.

“I feel so useless. I won’t say suicidal, but sometimes I pray to God and say, ‘If there’s nothing meaningful left for me in this world, then take me away.’ I don’t want to simply exist without purpose. But never suicidal - I have gone through very difficult times in my life and never thought like that. I just pray that I don’t end up living like this.”