‘The actor in me is starved….’ says noted theatre person and gifted actor Neeta Mohindra whose body of work otherwise ought to be a subject of envy.
Seen more recently in Dastar,Satluj, Border 2 and not to miss her brilliant act in the much-acclaimed OTT series Sapne vs Everyone, she is, however, a bit weary of ‘goody goody’ mother roles. She would love to dig into more meaty parts, which allow her to flex her acting muscles in a variety of characters. Of course, as Prashant’s mother in Sapne vs Everyone has brought her much appreciation and recognition.
And playing national heartthrob Diljit Dosanjh’s mother not once but twice over (Satluj and Border 2) has been more than an enjoyable experience. Having known the actor-singer at close quarters, she would not add anything to what is already in public domain except how Diljit is “God’s special child.” To survive in the competitive entertainment industry, however, one needs more than ‘rab di mehr.’ Thus, despite decades of theatre experience behind her, today she has to regularly audition for parts where success rate of grabbing a role is only .1 per cent. But what would be a gruelling exercise for others is an ‘acting workshop’ for her.
Having ruled the stage for years, today she finds herself more at home in front of the camera. She adds, “The basic grammar of acting is same. But to borrow a cliché, one has to be more theatrical (read loud) on stage whereas in front of the camera even a slight twitch would convey the idea. You can’t lie in front of camera.”
Interestingly, she decided to quit a secure job as professor in Amritsar and try her luck in acting in 2015 for she recalls, “People would often be dismissive and thought acting was only a passing fancy whereas my devotion for acting was no less.” Today, she takes immense pride in introducing herself just as ‘an actor.’
Not that being one is an easy ride. Often the role narrated to her turns out to be markedly different from what she imagined. And then, there is the merciless editing table. But over the years she has learnt nothing is more important than the film. And as her director of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Neeraj Pandey, would aver, ‘What is good or bad only audience would decide.’ And she muses, “There is no crystal ball to know what would click.”
Thus, though she has a couple of prestigious projects in the pipeline, she would not pre-empt its impact. But she is vocal about the ban on Satluj and defends her director Honey Trehan unequivocally. “He has made a beautiful film which can’t possibly talk about 100 things. It’s one page out of say a 400-page book, but what is commendable is he has not fictionalised history or trifled with facts.”
After working with stalwarts like Pandey and Nikkhil Advani (Prisoners of War), she finds young crop of directors especially Ambrish Verma equally visionary. She lauds Ambrish for his exemplary discipline and how he made her audition for almost every scene which later tugged at audience’s heart strings. If back in time MS Dhoni brought her into the limelight, today Sapne vs Everyone has put her on centre-stage. For those who nurse dreams of switching careers midlife, her only piece of guidance is, “Take a leap only if acting is your passion and not for a shot at fame or glory.” To aspiring actors, she would not offer any mantra, for she asserts, “Gen Z knows more than us.” With no hesitation to play her age, her sapne meanwhile revolve around walking into the shoes of lead protagonist, like the Zee show Bheema – Andhkaar Se Adhikaar Tak wherein she became this matriarch Kailasha bua with negative shades. However, small or big, she illuminates every role. Every story has a heartbeat and often it’s Neeta Mohindra.