Actor Swara Bhaskar talks about Raanjhanaa and finding her feet in cinema
“Mumbai can be a lonely city; it can make you feel
alienated,” says Swara Bhaskar. She moved to Mumbai from Delhi, bag and
baggage, about five years ago with dreams in her eyes. Filmi and
dramatic it may have seemed then, but Swara managed to get noticed.
“During the first three years I had monetary support from my parents and
I am not ashamed to admit it. Because of their help, I didn’t resort to
doing mediocre work to make ends meet,” she adds.
Swara’s choices, so far, have been varied — mainstream films such as Tanu Weds Manu, Aurangzeb and Raanjhanaa, niche projects such as The Untitled Karthik Krishnan Project, Madholal Keep Walking and Listen Amaya.
“Films are forever. My mother (Ira Bhaskar) is a professor of film
studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and I’ve seen her
digging out films of the silent era, 40s and 50s and analysing them. A
hundred years later if a film student were to stumble upon my work, I
hope he/she feels I’ve been part of good films. I want to have a body of
work that I’d be proud of years later,” she smiles.
The small role of Payal in Tanu Weds Manu was her ticket to fame. By a stroke of luck, or destiny, she found herself in director Anand L. Rai’s Raanjhanaa
as well. She came on board much later than the other actors. “When I
read a script, I read my role first. I play a crazy, lively girl called
Bindiya. I fell in love with this girl. When we were shooting, I told
Anand this part was written for me. I believe in destiny. Films and
roles written for you will somehow reach you,” she says.
Swara’s
father hails from the Godavari belt in AP and mother from Bihar. Her
maternal grandmother hailed from Varanasi and in a way, Swara could
connect with the city while shooting for Raanjhana. “Bindiya is a
spirited Benarasi girl and through her, I could connect with the
madness deep within me. I was so much in love with the character that on
the last day of the dubbing, I broke down not wanting to part ways with
this character. The sound engineer didn’t know what to do and gave me a
chocolate to calm me down,” laughs Swara.
Later this year, Swara will be seen in Sabki Bajegi Band directed by Anirudhh Chawla and Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai by Debaloy
De. “I want to explore different genres and play characters of
different age groups. I liked the energy with which Amitabh Bachchan
played a 12-year-old in Paa and how Richa Chhada, so early in her career, aced it as an older woman in Gangs of Wasseypur 2,” says Swara.
While she will not hesitate to pick up niche films like Listen Amaya, Swara has nothing against mainstream cinema. “I was a Chitrahaar
addict. So yes, I like commercial cinema. I am a greedy actor; I want
tough roles that will exhaust me by the end of the day.” Are directors
listening?
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/films-are-forever/article4826634.ece
