Actor Lisa Ray penned a heartfelt note on Tuesday as “Kasoor” completed 25 years, and recalled being told the film won’t work as audiences didn’t want to have strong female characters on-screen.The film released on February 2, 2001. Directed by Vikram Bhatt and produced by Mukesh Bhatt, the film also starred Aftab Shivdasani and revolved around Shekhar Saxena (Shivdasani), a wealthy journalist accused of murdering his wife, Priti. Ray essayed the role of a lawyer, who is hired to defend him, but later discovers terrifying evidence that suggests his guilt.Ray shared a video montage of the scenes from the film on her Instagram handle. The actor said the film managed to represent “everything that Bollywood wasn’t” back then. “25 years of ‘Kasoor’. Let that sink in. When I said yes to this film, it felt like stepping into my power-quietly but decisively. A strong female character. A real arc. Emotional complexity. No big dance numbers. No formula. It was dark, internal, and led by feeling rather than spectacle. In many ways, ‘Kasoor’ represented everything Bollywood wasn’t at that moment,” she wrote in the caption.Ray made her acting debut in 1994 with the film “Hanste Khelte”. The actor is also known for featuring in the music video for Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Afreen Afreen”, which released in 1996.The 53-year-old actor said she refused many mainstream films back in the 90’s but when she was approached for “Kasoor”, she was told the film won’t work. “In the 90s, after refusing many mainstream offers, I was told-very confidently-this film won’t work. ‘No one wants to watch a strong female character.’ ‘It’s too dark.’ Well, here we are,” she said.”Working with @aftabshivdasani was a joy-present, sincere, and deeply committed. Thank you for being such a wonderful co-actor and collaborator. And to the Bhatts and Vikram Bhatt-thank you for trusting the stillness, the silences, and the emotional truth of this story when it wasn’t the obvious choice.”She also wrote about notable music from the film, which featured tracks such as “Kitni Bechain Hoke”, “Mohabbat Ho Na Jaye” and “Zindagi Ban Gaye Ho Tum”, among others. The actor called the film one of the projects which helped to shift how women could be portrayed on screen.”And then, of course, the music. Eternal. Melodious.Those songs have woven themselves into people’s memories-first loves, heartbreaks, long drives, stolen moments of youth. That kind of resonance is a gift no one can manufacture…Looking back, I can honestly say ‘Kasoor’ was one of the early films that helped shift how women could be portrayed on screen-not perfect, but purposeful. Something about the performances, the mood, the feeling we evoked, it endured. I would be remiss if I did not thank @divyadutta25 for lending her distinctive voice to Simran Bhargav.””Most of all, thank you to the audience. For watching. For remembering. For proving-again and again-that strong female stories don’t fade. They wait. And then they last. Footage – @visheshfilms,” she added.