Sandhya Mridul on shooting romantic scenes with Naseeruddin Shah: Even if there was a little discomfort during the scene, he used to just joke – Exclusive – Times of India
This time, like always, Sandhya tried hands on something new with her upcoming web series ‘Taj: Divided by Blood’. Ask the actress the reason and she says, “In these 15-20 years, I wait and take my own time and not repeat the character I play so that people can see me in a new avatar. When one does a new avatar, there is a newfound satisfaction and excitement. If every time we keep doing the same thing, there is boredom and a lack of passion. Therefore, for me, it’s really nice to do different avatars. One may do better than the other but versatility is very important to me.”
For the first time, Sandhya will play a royal character, Jodha Bai. “The audience will see a more emotional side of Jodha Bai this time. A more human side of Jodha Bai as she shares a more intense and in-depth relationship with Salim and Akbar. Though she was very mild, gentle, and kind, she was also very fearless. Akbar took advice from her and also valued her opinion. So here, the audience will see a real Jodha in terms of relationships,” she reveals.
Sandhya has always portrayed any given character with grace and conviction and never shied away from even playing a character that is not of her age. When asked about playing a mother to someone who is almost a grown-up man, pat comes a reply, “I played a mother in Nikhil Advani’s film and also in ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ but not to such a big boy, he is a grown-up man and not even a boy (laughs). But I was not going to lose the part just because I didn’t look old enough. Frankly speaking yeh sab cheezon se mujhe koi farak nahi padta (these things don’t make a difference to me). If the role is that good, I am ready to even play anyone’s granny. Even in ‘Tandav’ I was requesting Ali Abbas Zafar to give me the older person’s role (Anuradha Kishore), but then he told me that they are giving the role to Dimple Kapadia. I even told him to age me and I will do the character. So really I don’t have this age barrier.”
While Sandhya plays Jodha, the legendary actor Naseeruddin Shah portrays Akbar. While it is a dream for many to work with the ace actor, Sandhya too feels fortunate to have shared screen space with him. “I really have no words. Naseeruddin Shah sir, without pushing, always pushes his co-star to perform better. He is a human being who wants the individual to excel without saying anything to him/her. It is just like he is standing there and in his presence, one always wants to perform better.”
Sandhya and Naseeruddin Shah play a couple, so when asked if there were any romantic scenes that made them feel uncomfortable, Sandhya explains, “Akbar and Jodha have a nice camaraderie, they both have a warmth between them. Akbar has a relationship with and also loves Jodha. They are also friends and Akbar asks for a piece of advice from Jodha as well. I cannot say they have a sensuality between them but there is affection between them and the audience will see a very nice equation between them. I was very comfortable working with Naseer sir. He always joked when I came in front of him like he always used to say, ‘Oh My God! this girl looks too young, Sandhya Mridul do you ever age? Thank god! I don’t have many romantic scenes with this girl.’ He was very fond of me but he used to always joke. Naseer sir has a great sense of humour and so do I. So even if there was a little discomfort during the scene, he used to just joke. He used to say, ‘iske baal toh safed kar diye hote, she can play my daughter’. So he would comment and we all would laugh. So there was no discomfort because he makes his co-star very comfortable.”
The series also features another Bollywood superstar, Dharmendra, however, Sandhya feels sad that she did not have any scenes with the legend. “Unfortunately, I didn’t share any screen space with Dharmendra, but I was pleased to share the stage with him at the logo launch. It is always great meeting him. He is always warm and affectionate and I thought he would not recognise me because he had met me many years ago on the sets of ‘Socha Na Tha’ but he instantly recognised and hugged me saying, ‘tu acchi actor hai’. Then he told me all the stories from the sets of his films and told me how ‘badmaash’ he was. He is full of life and also asked me to be on Instagram and often share posts. He has always had that fun element in him because many years ago, he had actually told me that he was a very mischievous person on the sets and we can see that in his eyes.”
While that is that, playing a royal character is not Sandhya’s cup of tea. “Everything that I had before this was easy because from the sets to the jewelry, and the costumes… everything is very difficult in the royal setup. In fact, I was also clicked on the sets when I was lifting up my lehenga and walking around with my keds on. Every day I used to wear keds because the lehengas were so heavy. So that was the tiring part for me, otherwise, the set was beautiful. But working in these costumes was the biggest challenge for everyone, including the male actors. I don’t enjoy such clothes at all. My friends gave me clothes to try on, and I got stressed. I don’t wear makeup in real life and I am a casual person. Dressing up was never in me ever since I was a kid. I am a bit of a tomboy myself, it’s more about comfort for me.
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