I use my script as a launchpad. Of course, there were discussions to be had. When I read the script, I understood the character. I wanted to be sure of the mother that I was playing. The director’s vision was important, but the script was my launchpad. When you are playing a character from a specific community, you have the nuances of that community thrown in. It becomes part of the fabric of that character, and that’s something actors can use. Otherwise, it becomes generic. A scantily written character and a well-written character are very different. I keep in mind my character’s background, community and backstory while performing. Every character is also related and interlinked. It doesn’t have to be a blood relation, but they are all interconnected. I love fleshed-out characters, even if the role is small.
What are some of the most well-written characters that you have ever played?
There was a film called Such a Long Journey, based on the book by Rohinton Mistry. And it’s no surprise that when you play a character from a book, there is a lot to go by. The writer has already written so much. That’s one project I can think of where I played Dilnavaz Noble. I have also done a show with Vir Das, which hasn’t been released yet, where I’m playing this crazy character. That role is so well-written. It’s set in Goa. My character in Saaransh was also very well-written. It was one of my first films.
Always, at every moment. The character I was playing demanded it. There was no fakeness to it. The scenes with my daughter (Karisma Kapoor) were very natural. We all want our kids to be able to survive in the world. That’s Janice’s thought process too. She is concerned about her slightly wavering daughter, who seems to have gone off the rails emotionally and mentally. She is worried about her, and I relate to that.
We all had to learn. We didn’t know anything. That’s the case in most households. A lot may have changed today, but I feel people are still surprisingly ignorant about certain situations and illnesses that are actually quite common. Many people suffer from depression.
I had no previous experience with it. So, it became a voyage of discovery for both the parent and the child. And it’s not easy. But Shaheen is a bright and smart girl. I’m happy and proud that she excels in everything she does. Of course, none of us is at the top of our game all the time. You don’t have to be depressed to go through difficult phases. Everybody experiences sadness at some point in life.
But there’s a difference between clinical depression and ordinary sadness. We are surprisingly uneducated about those differences. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I was too. It wasn’t my fault. You don’t know until you’re faced with such a situation. Then you have to figure out how to deal with it.
You have worked through cinema’s transition from single-screen theatres to streaming platforms. What has changed the most for actors, and what has surprisingly remained the same?
Everything has changed in terms of the kind of roles you get and the films being made. Thanks to streaming platforms, the roles being written are much more adventurous for every age group. They don’t follow stereotypical formulas anymore. As a result, actors are having a blast playing interesting characters.
That’s why performances in the old days were often more stilted. Today, performances are much more visceral and natural. There is room for actors to experiment and build nuances into their characters because they have time to work through the script. Production has also become far more organised. We receive proper schedules with scenes clearly mentioned. Earlier, we would simply arrive on set without knowing what we were shooting.
Interestingly, what hasn’t changed is that cinema, or any business involving content creation, still requires passion and love for the craft. If you’re not excited about what you’re making, it will show in the final product. If you don’t believe in it, the audience will know.
Earlier, filmmakers were driven almost entirely by passion. They would spend two months shooting in Kashmir without thinking twice. Things are a little different now. There are many more processes in place, but at its heart, filmmaking is still driven by someone’s passion.
She was chasing success. I wanted to make it as an actor. Nobody knew who I was. I was an unknown entity. I wanted to prove that I could act, if nothing else. I wanted recognition. To a large extent, I’ve received that recognition. It’s still not enough, to be honest. It could always be more. But I’m no longer chasing success. I’m chasing good work.
What would be your advice for the newer generation of actors?
The new generation doesn’t need my advice. They are sorted. They’re already good at what they do. But if I had to say one thing, it would be this: be real. There’s nothing more important than that.
You have been observed as an actress, a mother and a wife. But at this stage of your life, what is something that people still haven’t seen or noticed about you?
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: filmfare.com
