Actor Sonali Bendre was last seen in the television series Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye. But her career took a temporary pause when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in 2018 and had to undergo treatment for months in New York. Having fought the big C and after judging reality shows sporadically, she is all set to return to acting seven years later with The Broken News, which also marks her debut in the OTT world.
We catch up with the actor, who has films like Sarfarosh (1999), Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999) and Kal Ho Na Ho (2003) to her credit, as she talks about being back to the grind, fighting the effects of post-cancer therapy, getting to work in an era that celebrates subtle acting and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
Were you nervous on the first day on the sets of The Broken News considering you were shooting after seven years?
I was very, very nervous. Everybody kept telling me that it’s like riding a bicycle. Even if you lose touch with it, you never really forget to cycle. But till you try it out, you aren’t quite sure if it really works that way. So, yes, the first day was scary.
Did you encounter any other challenges while working on the show?
Earlier, remembering a page’s dialogue would require me to read it two-three times. So, it wasn’t really a problem for me to remember my lines. Post my cancer therapy, I experienced brain fog and couldn’t remember things as much in my personal life. So, I was worried as to how I’m going to deal with that. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to remember my lines. Acting isn’t like extempore. When I judge reality shows, I simply say what I feel like and I don’t have to remember scripts. That experience is very different. Here, there was a scripted line, a tone and a meaning behind it. It wasn’t Sonali speaking; it was a character who was saying the dialogues.
So, how did you go about it?
I used the same technique that I used for healing, that of brain plasticity. I told myself, ‘You’ve the plasticity, and so, you can do it. You just have to rewire it.’ I gradually accepted and acknowledged that I don’t need to know all the lines by heart by reading it just twice. Not everyone can remember things quickly and they work around it differently. I realised I too need to find a different way to work on my lines. Thankfully, things have changed so much today; the process of working has become more exciting now. We received the script earlier, and so, I read it beforehand and I knew what was happening in the story.
What’s the kind of support that you received from the makers of the web series?
My director (Vinay Waikul) was the most accommodating. We did readings and tweaked wherever we felt the need to so that the lines sound more comfortable for me when I say them. This was an approach very different from the one I used in the past. All of this helped me.
The Broken News deals with a rather relevant subject – the clash between ethical and sensational journalism. What was it about the script that spoke to you?
Sensationalism has always been a part of society. Media is also a part of our society. Unlike films which are often held responsible for perpetuating a certain thought, what we see in the media is a reflection of the world we live in. Those who work in the media are also a part of the social fabric like anyone else. I always believe that rather than pointing figures at the media and blaming them for doing something we think is wrong, it’s imperative that we look within and ask ourselves, ‘Why am I watching this?’ Others may want to be aware and educated and understand that there are compulsions behind certain calls that are taken in terms of what is shown in the news. No one is intentionally taking us for a ride. Nothing’s just back or white.
The beauty of our show is that we aren’t blaming or judging anyone; we’re simply showing you the mirror to what’s happening and how things work.
The style of acting has drastically changed today. As opposed to the 1990s, when you started your career, and the 2000s, actors now adopt a more subtle way of performing. Is that something that you had to sink your teeth into?
One of my first films is Naaraaz (1994) and the other one is Zakhm (1998). The way in which I acted in them would fit in perfectly well with today’s times. My style of acting has always been very subtle and that has been my forte. It’s just that I was working in an era where they wanted us to act in an over-the-top style. So, the kind of acting I see today comes most naturally to me. I’m not a theatre actor. I was trained on the job in front of the camera. I think cameras don’t need anything to be underlined because its movement, the shots that you take and the background music do a lot of the job for you. Doing little is more has always been the case and I’m trained in that.
Going forward, will we be able to see more of you onscreen?
I’m back to work and I’m looking for great scripts, new voices and newer kinds of storytelling. I’m looking for creative satisfaction. I’ve taken a long time to come back. My son has grown up and I have the time which I can dedicate to my work. What recovering from a life-threatening illness has done is given me clarity. I don’t enjoy anything else as much as I enjoy the creative process of storytelling, be it in front of or behind the camera. It has taken me so long to understand that. I’m now confident that this is exactly what I want to continue doing. I became an actor by accident. I needed the money, and that was the driving force earlier. Now, the driving force includes the people I meet and interact with and the stories I hear and finding my voice in them.
The Broken News is slated to release on 10 June on ZEE5
Titas Chowdhury is a journalist based in Mumbai with a keen interest in films and beaches.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/qHkULda
0 Comments