00:00So, hello Shilpa ma'am, hello Sonakshi ma'am, welcome to NS and first of all congratulations for Jatadara that's about to release on 7th of November.
00:07My question is to both of you, while working on this film, it's a different world altogether, you know, action is very stylized, you did action in Akira but this is something very different from what you have done earlier.
00:18Same goes for you, you know, again a different world, different narrative, the tone is pitched a little higher.
00:24How was it getting one with the universe of the film, one with your own characters and how did you navigate that path as you moved along?
00:32Anyone can take the lead and start.
00:34Well, no, so for me, A, it was like you correctly said, it's very different to what I've played in my previous movies or,
00:47but I think the directors had such a clear vision of what they wanted to shoot.
00:53When they narrated the script to us, it was very, very clear that this is how it is going to be and we did nothing different.
01:00It was not that when we landed up on the set, it was totally different, differently shot or differently set.
01:08So, as an actor, somewhere down the line, we knew exactly what we were getting into.
01:13Obviously, there is a switch on switch off button that we use every day in our lives.
01:20We don't carry anything home and luckily for us, this film was all shot in a single schedule.
01:27So, it was very easy to go on set, perform as per the director's vision and then just come home and kind of sleep well.
01:42Okay.
01:43And yes, you're right, there is a different world, but it's a matter of, I think for every actor when you do a character,
01:50you just leave it there and you don't tend to sit over it and think, oh, it's good, it's good, it's good.
01:58Because at the end of the day, it's all written.
02:00Yeah.
02:01It's not something that we've experienced or anything like that.
02:04Was it very easy or difficult to cleanse your system out of this character?
02:07Well, I know how to cut my cord.
02:10So, yeah, there was no cleansing of the system.
02:13Like I said, you know, shooting when you come home, you just, and I think you're so tired as an actor.
02:19Yeah.
02:20Doing what you're doing, you just want to sleep.
02:23Yeah.
02:24There's no time to process, okay, I'll do something else tomorrow.
02:27There's nothing like that.
02:29Okay.
02:30And how about you, man?
02:31Yeah.
02:32I think being a part of a world like this was very exciting to me, first of all, as an actor,
02:35which is why I agreed to do the film.
02:37And the world that they've created and how the story has been woven into so many different things,
02:45like folklore, a little bit of mythology, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of thrill,
02:50a little bit of supernatural elements, jis tara se in saari cheezo ko, matlab ek film mein bandha gaya hai,
02:57I thought that was very, very interesting.
02:59And as an actor, for me to do a role which is so different, that was the draw for me in this film.
03:06Okay.
03:07And you did a supernatural film in a very quick succession.
03:10Before that, it was Kakura, I believe.
03:12Yeah.
03:13So.
03:14Kakura and then I did Nikita Roy and then I've done this.
03:16Yeah.
03:17I think this supernatural genre is sticking my liking to me.
03:21Was walking in, walking out like a cakewalk for you?
03:23A movewalk?
03:24For me it is, generally is, because I'm a, like she said, a switch on switch off actor.
03:28I don't take my work home.
03:30Set par jo hoti hun, mein wo hoti hun.
03:32Jo character mushe ho na hota, mein wo hoti hun.
03:34Ghera ke mein ap, I'm myself.
03:36Toh, it's not that big of a thing ki, you know, I take my character home with me and I live with it and I,
03:44I don't, I don't want to say that I do.
03:47Yeah.
03:48Har kisi ka method alag alag hoti hun.
03:50True.
03:51And each to their own.
03:52Yeah.
03:53True, true.
03:54And this reminded me of what Shah Rukh sir had said years ago.
03:56I think it was during the time of My Name Is Khan.
03:58He said that to get it right is something an actor can do and it can turn out very boring.
04:05He said that the fun lies in going wrong and treading off the path because then you could,
04:10it opens up a new world for you, you know, going wrong, then coming back, making minor tweaks,
04:15streamlining it away.
04:16But how else do you learn?
04:17You learn by making mistakes, no?
04:18Or kaisa sikho ga?
04:19Yeah.
04:20Yeah.
04:21So, I feel that applies to every phase of life and every profession, you know, that people
04:32are in.
04:33So, it's nice also.
04:34It keeps things exciting.
04:36Yeah.
04:37The learning process, I feel, should never stop.
04:39True.
04:40So, I feel the learning process should never get over and I feel we are in such a profession
04:53that every day, you learn something new.
04:56Absolutely.
04:57Yeah.
04:58So, but what I meant to ask was that, are you obsessed with getting it right from the get-go
05:02or right off the bat, both of you?
05:04How can you get it right?
05:06Yeah.
05:07I mean, as actors, every film that is offered to you, even if she has done supernatural films
05:12before, this has been a challenge in her own way for her as an actor.
05:16So, it's never getting it right.
05:17Yeah.
05:18You are always in fact challenging yourself ki mein aur alak kya karo.
05:21Yeah.
05:22So, I think that getting it right is like telling me yourself ki mujhe sab pata hai.
05:26I've got it right this time.
05:28Yeah.
05:29I have nailed it.
05:30It's not, it's not A, the right approach also to your work.
05:34Yeah.
05:35I agree.
05:36But it's also like, what do you say?
05:39Like, it's so much added pressure na?
05:41Mm-hmm.
05:42Who is, what is right?
05:43Yeah, we don't know.
05:44What is right for you might not be right for me.
05:45Absolutely.
05:46What is right for me might not be right for my director.
05:47Mm-hmm.
05:48Toh, who's right are we talking about?
05:49Yeah.
05:50True.
05:51As an actor, you have to go in and perform to the best of your ability.
05:53Aapko jo samaj me aaya character ke baare mein aapko karo.
05:56Correct.
05:57You know?
05:58So, it's a very relative term, I think, getting it right.
06:00Yeah.
06:01Okay.
06:02And we were talking about, you know, the learnings in this industry and this profession as we go along.
06:09Now again, this question is open to both of you.
06:10You have been in the industry for so long, you know, you have literally seen the industry changing and evolving with the time.
06:17The way industry functioned in the 90s is very different from what it is today.
06:18You know, there are corporates, you know, handling the entire structure of the film from the pre-production to the
06:20pre-production to, to the 90s, which is very different.
06:21Aapko jo samaj me aapko jay ka aapko jay ka ka
06:35Yeah.
06:36And we were talking about the learnings in this industry and this profession as we go along.
06:39from what it is today you know there are corporates now you know handling the
06:43entire structure of the film from the pre-production to the release in the
06:48theaters I mean it's a whole clockwork that goes into you know making and
06:53releasing films in that sense how has the actor in you evolved and for you
06:58again close to 15 years in the industry how is that journey been for you this
07:04going through this change so I basically feel the we all have to change your
07:10time if we need work if you want to work in today's times you have to change it
07:15and you cannot come with your baggage of what you've done then and how do you
07:20can't give people gyan anymore because like you said that there's an entire new
07:24world outside and they we are looking for work or seeking for work and wanting to
07:29be a part of that world so we have to somewhere down this line say that you
07:34know what I'm an actor you're a director or you're a producer or you're a DOP and
07:39you're you do your work I'll do my work and then the film works out correctly
07:45because there's no point in saying ki main itne saal se kaam karriya
07:49mujhe pata yeh angle galat hai yeh boli nahi sakte hai
07:52matlab bolni bolna zaruri nahi hai agar pata bhi chale aaj monitors hai sab
07:57dekh sakte hai and then when your team becomes understands you as a actor or you
08:04understand that technicians value then there's a you can discuss saying ki you
08:11know I think this can be done this way and then things are different but if you
08:14go with the mindset that you know what the world has changed but I'm going to
08:19bring what I know on the table I think you rather sit at home so that's my point
08:25and I think that goes very well you mentioned about the camera angles now
08:29getting it wrong maybe sometimes you know it again it can open up a new door
08:33like for a short which is surreal you need a dutch pen you can't go with a
08:37dolly in it won't create that effect in that sense and for you how was it for you
08:41navigating this path as the industry world and there honestly I came in at a
08:45time where a lot of changes were just coming into effect in terms of like
08:49social media in terms of like pap culture in terms of film se digital ho ra tha so my
08:58first cup first film I shot on a film and it just became in mid actually in the
09:04middle only I think it became no Dabang I shot on digital and the only film I shot on
09:08film was Lotera oh okay so that whole transition had happened so all this
09:12monitors and all already are chukai hai so for me that's my way of no it was like
09:18matlab usmehi mein badhi ho as an actor as a person everything I've learnt I've
09:24learnt on set and so these things were already there by then so I guess that's
09:27just the way I know it I wouldn't know how it was you know in her time she's been
09:31such a huge star I mean her film mein shilpa shiroj karthi at one point of time
09:36yeah of course yeah and like she's done so much work in a time at a time where it
09:41was digitally not so convenient correct you know so to speak of course and by the time
09:47I came in everything was like matlab haat pe you can see the monitor you can see retake
09:53matlab jitne bhi take karne karlo it's so easy to be right today film do the right thing
09:58no waste nahi ho raha hai to karo jitne take karne kya karna hai matlab it just I just started
10:04working at a point like that and so far in the 15 years I would say that things have
10:09pretty much been like that and yeah I think a lot more new changes are now also starting
10:17to come in but we have to adapt yeah technology wise and all like look at the VFX that we are
10:23doing nowadays imagine a film like this being made in such a short span of time you know
10:28a lot of technological changes are happening and but you just have to just adapt with the
10:33time I guess yeah and coming back to the film you know this whole pan and deaf film moment
10:38it started much earlier we have seen films of Rajni sir Kamal sir but it gained prominence
10:44more so after Bahubali you know every like every third film is now pitched to the audience
10:51across the India now when you're making a film with that mindset does it add up to the
10:57pressure as a performer ki ar meri ye set audience ke beyond ja ki aap to perform and hook or appeal
11:03to the audience it's actually quite exciting for me at least you're like I don't want like
11:07I said I don't want to take any added pressure but I'm also very excited about the fact that
11:11I'll be reaching a whole new audience you know and a kasi audience jahan par wo matlab agar
11:17aap ke saath jud gai as an actor to wo ekdam loyal rehte hai ekdam judi jate hai so it was
11:23very exciting for me to be a part of an industry like that you know like I can showcase a side
11:29of me which they also want to see yeah you know so it's fun too and how's it for you ma'am yeah I
11:35think it's the same there is you know the excitement quotient is much is more but there's no pressure
11:44as an actor the excitement is that oh my god I'm going to be going to be visible in a different
11:50region you know of the industry and like she said there's so much of love and respect for the work
11:57that you have done that they look at you also differently you know so yeah it's quite exciting
12:03the journey okay and taking further from that you know when you work on a film like Jatadhara I know
12:08you have artists practically from every corner of India coming in you know adding their own inputs
12:13what is that cross-pollination of art and the artists for you as actors like the more the merrier I
12:20guess yeah you know we work with such wonderful artists you get to learn so much from each and
12:26everyone everybody has their own story to tell yeah exactly and for me I think that's the best
12:33part about working with people from you know different regions different languages different
12:39cultures communities yes I think you would you just get to learn so much and I feel that really adds to
12:46your being a good actor you just have to sit and observe people listen to them listen to their stories
12:52you know so it's very important to be a good listener and observer I feel you know to be a good actor so
13:03it's nice to work with a whole lot of people yeah okay and for my last two questions first is for you
13:10ma'am film with you but one of my most favorites is Gopi Kishan yeah it's highly entertaining film and I
13:19think it was that film which in a way told the audience that you know Sunil Shetty sir could perform
13:24or pull off comedy with absolute finish it was the precursor to Hera Farin in many ways in terms of
13:29comedy what are your fondest memories of working on that film Gopi Kishan is my favorite and I always
13:34say that agar humare time mein social media ka thoda bhi aur hath hota toh wo film bohut bohut alaghi level pe
13:43log dekhte hain today after so many years people actually watch it thanks to you know whatever you
13:50see on television or the social media and stuff like that so my fondest memories were we never knew we
13:56were making such a funny film first of all and we used to I used to just act like what Deepak used
14:01to tell me to do and Sunil also used to act because we were like you know we were just doing like a fun
14:07film but we didn't know it was going to be so funny but jo bhi camera ke peechhe loog thae na wo har shot
14:13ke baag bhot haste thae ar hum loog onko pata hi nahi chalta hain ki huskyo rai kyunki monitor
14:17thae nahi toh jab hum loog onne woh film dekhi aur jab hum film alia mein hum loog onne press trial rakhata
14:25that time we used to have trial for the media and that's when we realized oh my god yeh aise
14:30bani hai kyunki i am not that hum hum hum kind of actor ki mein dubbing mein mujhe pata chalega
14:37ki mine film kaise bani hai ya kaise dikhi hai because I like to watch the entire product
14:42with the background and everything toh film alia mein jab hum loog onne trial rakhata and
14:47the entire media was laughing and I'm like yeh it actually funny hai you know like I also
14:53yeah and it's so good that when you go out after so many years also you know like people
15:00like you and so many others they always say ma'am hum loog onko aapki gopikishan bhot
15:04achche legi and I'm like haa thank you and lastly for you ma'am we were talking about films
15:11that have made an impact Luterra is one film in your filmography that I'm sure you are really
15:15really proud about in addition to audience that has seen and love that film working in a film like
15:21that and then to see the impact of that film a decade down the line what it does to the artist
15:26yeah I mean I I it just amazes me every time I meet someone the first thing they say is that we
15:31loved you in Luterra for a film to have that kind of impact after so many years still is just phenomenal
15:37and I'm just so proud and happy to be have been a part of it you know it's one of the best experiences
15:43of mine while working I was again this this was maybe the third or fourth film that I had signed at
15:49that point of time and a lot of people had told me don't do this film and I said I went with my
15:55instinct I went with my gut and I said no whatever happens I will do this film and because I see
16:00myself as Baki and that's what I did and I'm so glad that I did because till today I get so much love
16:08for that one character it's it's just beautiful yeah absolutely perfect so with that we have reached the
16:13end of this conversation so on that note thank you so much I wish all the best thank you thank you so
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