00:00Hi, I'm Shreya from AsiaNet and today we have been joined by by far the only sweet character
00:05present in Mirzapur, Dimpi Pandit played by Nanandayan, Harshita Gaur. Welcome Harshita.
00:11Thank you for having me, Shreya.
00:13How do you feel? See, last time I spoke to you, I think it was in 2021, again for Mirzapur
00:19and now it's been over five to six years and now we have a full-fledged movie coming up.
00:24So, how are you feeling? I want to know that. Like, what's the feel like?
00:29I mean, I'm feeling great because who would have thought that this would become a film?
00:34Although, I think everyone always like felt that this probably could be your theatrical experience
00:42because it offers you that, you know, you want to see it with the community, you want to see it
00:47with people
00:48and I think that manifestation has come true and finally we're going to see it in the theatres.
00:54Yeah, lovely. So, you know, one of my favourite activities to do after coming back from my high school
01:01was to binge watch on Saddahak and I also used to go to the repeat telecast and, you know,
01:06there was something so mushy about Ranbir and Sayukta. It was like, something is spicy.
01:11And since then, I was an admirer of your work. It's been so long of a journey for you from
01:16then
01:16to Dimpy Pandit. If you want to just, you know, reminisce and just share something to your audience about it.
01:22So, I mean, I can't get enough of Saddahak. I think it was my first show. It was a stepping
01:30stone.
01:30It was something that, like, I learned so much on that set. It's just everything to me.
01:37It was my first thing and the amount of love that I have received through that show, even till date,
01:46like, people like yourself, they come and tell me that, you know, they used to see the show
01:50and my then audience have moved with me and the same audience have also become fan of Dimpy Pandit.
01:55You know, so that's a community that was built during that show. And Sayukta, my character,
02:03not only inspired people and, you know, women and girls, let me put it that way, but it also
02:09inspired the young Harshita a lot. And I think one of the things that I learned from her was
02:14never giving up. So, there were beautiful moments. I can't just, I mean, that show will always,
02:20always be very close to my heart.
02:25Yeah. And, you know, when we talk about Mirzapur, the script of this particular movie or series is so
02:31intense, so many cinematic elements, so many twisty, complicated relationships. And every other
02:39character in general is filled with a lot of, you know, intensity and rage. But when we see you on
02:44screen, there is a bit of softness, there is femininity. So, how do you balance or what, you know,
02:50work did you put into Dimpy as to so she can stand out from the other masala of the series?
02:59Yes. See, as an actor, you know, I probably was, sometimes I would feel, oh, what if I would have
03:06picked a gun? You know, obviously, as an actor, because you've not done those things before, so you
03:11feel slightly fascinated towards doing all of that. But I also understood Dimpy's quiet strength. And
03:17often we label strengths in a woman if she has to be aggressive looking or she has to do, she
03:27has to
03:27portray some kind of aggression or she has to be volcanic to, for people to see the strength. But no,
03:34a very feminine, quiet, but mentally strong world can also portray a lot of strength. So, I think that's a
03:43very different perspective that you see through Dimpy's character in Mirza work. And I think I really
03:50like her quiet strength.
03:53Yeah. Any scene that you recall was by far the most difficult for you to do? Without giving any
03:58spoilers, of course.
04:00You know, cover of scenes are very difficult. Physically challenging was one of the scenes in
04:06season 2, the very beginning when it's an action sequence where Dimpy and Godu are also, you know,
04:13in that action mode. I was very sick that day. I also had a knee injury. It was almost like
04:19they were
04:20thinking to can that scene to me or like submitted in a way which would be done mostly by body
04:26double.
04:26But something in me just shook me and I did that scene and but it was very, very, very challenging
04:36physically. Then mentally challenging was when Robin, Robin's death in season 3 that was very mentally
04:46challenging and difficult and a yeah and a heavy scene.
04:51Are you, have you, do you think as an actor you have reached that level wherein you are mentally
04:56able to check out after an intense scene or you still carry some of it?
05:01No, I still carry but I'm learning. I'm learning. So, I'm better than before but definitely there is
05:09still a lot that I carry with me. Yeah, you know, I just once read this quote. I'm not sure
05:15where I did
05:16though and it was that for an artist to be normal is a disaster. So, artists are very prone to,
05:24you
05:24know, acknowledging accepting all sorts of variations of emotions that come their way and you have also
05:29been very vocal about your mental health journey before. Do you think being an actor or being connected
05:34to artistic or like acting of any sort, does it help you or do you find your, what can we
05:42say, ease
05:45over there a form of expression for you or does that make you a little more difficult? Does it like
05:50you,
05:51do you carry the weight sometimes? No, I'm not, sorry you don't even understand the question. Is it like
05:56you're saying because they're not normal that's why they're able to
06:01Yeah, embrace it sometimes yeah. No, no, I don't think so. It's not about being normal or not. I think
06:08yes, maybe because we choose a a very volatile field as our as our career path and it's difficult
06:17and it is because it's not it's very it's not consistent, you know, you don't have consistent
06:23work and you have to challenge yourself every time there are different roles there are different
06:32so I don't know if we are really like abnormal people who get into this stuff but I definitely feel
06:40that if it's if it's coming from the heart and if it's coming from that place where you want to
06:46follow what you really believe in then I think you can you are ready to accept everything that comes
06:52your way so whether it's the delays or the weight or um or um physical challenges or injuries I mean
07:02we take care of all of that but we are ready like we mentally prepare ourselves that okay this is
07:08what
07:08I've chosen and this is what I want to follow and I will have to I have to embrace everything
07:13that comes
07:14with it yeah absolutely so uh my last question to you would be that you know lately it's a very
07:22sensitive time for Indian cinema uh actors although I do want to add like actors are very as people
07:29they must have been those people who are very vulnerable and emotional because other right if
07:35that's not the case then it's very difficult to feel something and portray it so definitely because
07:40I also now when I analyze I feel like I've I've always been a very emotional person I still am
07:44and
07:45and I feel like my that aspect of my uh being or that my trait really helps me Ardhanam
07:52yeah you know um this time it's a little sensitive for Indian cinema right now because actors are
07:59questioned on the basis of right and wrong morality has taken an altogether different center stage do you
08:05as an actor sometime feel that uh you will be able to pick a negative character something that's not
08:10on the right side like let's say for example with misogyny or being not so great would you still
08:16empathize with it as an actor will you go ahead with it or you will think about what your fans
08:21think
08:21you know in fact I feel the opposite stereotypes used to exist a lot more uh before you know somebody
08:28some actors has consistently done some negative roles let's say so we started associating that
08:34person with the character because we would feel oh this person is only bad because he had no idea of
08:38that human being now thanks to social media people not only people see you in characters but they also
08:45know the real you they they get an insight to who you are so then that is actually easier not
08:52to
08:52stereotype you because they can and not to feel that okay because you've done this certain kind of
08:58character so this is the person you are because they get an insight to our lives so I think that
09:03actually is an advantage um but also disadvantage in a way which is like for example if you have a
09:10certain image as an act as as as a human being on screen and let's say if you're picking up
09:17roles that
09:17are absolutely opposite to your personality then sometimes it could be difficult for people to buy you on
09:23screen so basically have a balance I would just say I don't I think stereotypes are reducing day by day
09:32do you think you would be friends with Dimpy oh yes only that I think Dimpy would be because Dimpy
09:39is too
09:40morally correct and she's too practical sometimes way too practical so that's why I sometimes see that
09:48maybe she'll scold me for things okay but yeah but I can be friends with her yes and something
09:55would that you would like to tell your audiences who are now looking forward to the theatrical release
10:00to see you on big screen anything that you want to share I would just tell them that it's because
10:05of
10:05you guys it's because of consistent love and appreciation that this series has converted into a film I would
10:15request all of you to please go or be uh but then have a go to the theater so that
10:20you can have
10:21collective thought and because it's a community watch and even if you have not seen the series
10:27uh it does not matter you can totally enjoy the film you don't need to know about the series also
10:32if you
10:32want to see the film yeah this song of the movie Varu Forever is released again and we were already
10:38traumatized and now the emotional beings are again getting all sorts of trauma it's a beautiful track you
10:43know what I mean not trauma but reminiscing loved ones do you love the song are you I love the
10:49song I
10:50mean I agree I heard the song eight years back when the song had come in fact then at that
10:55time it
10:56wasn't this big a hit you know and then many years later uh in the last two years people were
11:03using
11:03Varu on anything and everything even Ganpati series and a lot of people didn't know that Varu actually
11:16was always originally a Mirdapur song it was a season one song and nobody knew that it's not like we
11:23have
11:23taken Varu and we created it no it was always Mirdapur's song it's only people got to know it people
11:29got the
11:30hang of it much later and started liking the song so we thought okay let's create a version of it
11:35for
11:35the film yeah I am super excited for the film I have been a Mirdapur enthusiast ever since and my
11:42first interview was with you guys only so the life has come a full circle would say so many many
11:48congratulations to you all the best and thank you for talking to Ishaanet and I hope the movie does
11:55Bangor on box office yes thank you thank you
