Sunday, 26 September 2021 | Shalini Saksena
MALLIKA SHERAWAT | The actor who plays Zohra Mehra in MX Player’s Nakaab speaks with Shalini Saksena about her character, her checklist for choosing films the experience of working in an investigative thriller
What’s your role in Nakaab?
It is an investigative thriller. An actor has died and there is an enquiry how she died — whether it is a sucide or a murder; what is happening around this death. I play Zohra Mehra, an entertainment producer. She is a very ruthless and ambitious kind of a person who doesn’t care for anything. All she wants to do is make her empire. If you see, in real life also, the kind of things that are happening, — so many actors dying — Nakaab is extremely relevant today.
What was the attraction of playing this character?
It was because of the relevance that this film has — the relevance of all these unnatural deaths that have taken place. The script is very strong; it talks about the pressures that one feels when you are in the entertainment industry. This industry is so different from the person who has a 9 am to 5 pm job; he would not be able to relate to the lifestyle that the entertainment has nor the pressure — pressure to look good, pressure to be perfect, to look perfect; pressure to be a certain way. But how do you deal with it. Some people take to drugs, some become alcoholics, some commit suicide. What I read, the effect and role of social media and how the media sensationalises everything. I knew that we had to do this film.
You were away for a couple of years. What was keeping you busy?
I was travelling the world. It was the best time to travel. The airports were empty, air planes were empty. Roads were almost empty. There were no long queues at immigration. I went to all the countries which were allowing entry.
How tough was it?
It was not so tough. Sanitising is good for us — it keeps us protected, doing COVID tests is for our safety. It is about conditioning yourself and becoming used to the protocols that one has to follow. It is good in fact. Everything is so much cleaner now.
How tough was it to shoot?
The challenge was that we had to take the COVID test every two days. We also followed very strict protocols. While shooting you become involved in the scene that you forget the protocols, it is challenging to keep them in mind and follow them. The staff is wearing PPE kits and doing their work. This is tough.
How was the experience of working on an investigative thriller?
I loved the role I was given in Nakaab because there is nothing fake here. The director, Soumik Sen, wanted to keep thngs real. My character is a chain smoker. I have never smoked in my life. I had to practice a lot on how to hold a cigarette. Such roles are tough to write.
Is it possible for commercial and realistic cinema to meet at a point?
It is impossible to have a meeting pointfor the two. Commercial Bollywood films have a set formula. Realistic films take big risks.
Zohra in Nakkab is sans make-up; she doesn’t need it.
What kind of camaraderie did you share with Esha Gupta and Gautam Rode given the present pandemic and social distancing?
There was a lot of camaraderie. We didn’t go crazy; we maintained social distance. Since we took tests every other day, we knew we were safe.
How has the journey been?
It has been amazing. Imagine, I came from Haryana. Bollywood gave me everything — name, fame and even failures. It has given me super hits and flops as well. It is part of a great journey.
How has the OTT worked for you?
It has been wonderful. For an actor, it is important to reinvent. The kind of roles that are being written on the OTT platform, the writers are also coming up with challenges roles for them.
What next?
I am working on a project with Rajat Kapoor, RKRKAY. I play the lead — an actor of the 1950s.
