Actor Rajshri Deshpande has worked in several critically acclaimed films and series, including Manto, Sacred Games and Trial by Fire. Despite receiving praise for her performances over the years, the actor recently revealed that she still struggles to find strong and meaningful roles in the industry.
In a recent interview with Variety India, Rajshri opened up about not receiving good scripts even after earning critical acclaim for Trial by Fire. She said that after the success of Sacred Games, she did not want to keep repeating similar characters and hoped writers would create more layered parts for women.
Rajshri Deshpande on not getting good scripts
Talking about the kind of work she wants to do, Rajshri said, “After Sacred Games, I was done with that space. Write a better character for me. I don’t mind playing a gangster’s wife ten times, but every gangster’s wife has to be different. I already decided I’m not going to spend tons of money on PR or projecting myself as a fashion icon. I saved that money and used it to heal myself and take care of myself while waiting for good work.”
The actor further shared that despite all the praise and awards that came her way after Trial by Fire, she still did not receive scripts that challenged her as an actor. “After Trial by Fire, after all the awards and appreciation, I still didn’t receive good scripts. It took me almost two years to find something like Baapya, where I felt challenged again. It’s unfortunate that we still don’t have enough stories for women after a certain age. How many memorable roles do you really see for women post-35? Very few,” she said.
Rajshri, who is 43, also spoke about the lack of stories centred on women above a certain age in Indian cinema. According to her, women go through several life experiences in their late 30s and 40s, but these journeys are rarely explored on screen. She added that she hopes Indian writers and filmmakers create stories similar to The Crown or The Favourite, where older women are at the centre of the narrative.
About Trial by Fire
Trial by Fire was written by Prashant Nair and Kevin Luperchio, and directed by Prashant Nair, Randeep Jha and Avani Deshpande. The series also featured Abhay Deol, Anupam Kher, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shilpa Shukla and Ashish Vidyarthi in key roles. Based on the book Trial By Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy by Neelam Krishnamoorthy and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the series won Rajshri the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
About Rajshri Deshpande’s upcoming work
Rajshri will next be seen in the Marathi film Baapya. Directed by Samir Tewari and produced by Muktal Tewari and Samir Tewari, the film also stars Girish Kulkarni, Shrikant Yadav, Devika Daftardar, Aaryan Vinod Mengaji, Gauri Kiran and Ananda Karekar in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on May 15, 2026.