Film Udyog Se

रविवार, 5 नवंबर 2017

Rasika researches on the plight of women in Kashmir

After portraying a young mother in the recently released Tu Hai Mera Sunday, Rasika Dugal will play Ishrat, a Kashmiri mother, in the upcoming drama, Hamid produced by SaReGaMa. The film talks of Kashmir’s conflict zones through an emotional mother-son journey and an eight-year-old boy’s quest to find his father. Situation in Kashmir is worsening day by day. The entire humanity is put to shame with the condition of Kashmiri’s especially for young kids and women. It was a daunting task for Rasika to play a character of a mother whose husband is lost and her young son is on quest to find her father.

Though we have seen Rasika playing the similar character in her award-winning short film The School Bag, here Hamid takes the audience to a different level of performance by Rasika and child artist Talha Reshi. To prepare her role Rasika began her homework by reading up and watching documentaries on the life of Kashmir’s ‘Lady of Iron’, Parveena Ahangar, the founder of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her pacifism and human rights activism. The actress was also very influenced by Iffat Fatima’s 26-minute documentary, Where Have You Hidden My New Moon Crescent, which tells the story of Mughal Masi, who died waiting 20 years for her son to return. Rasika went on researching on internet by going through various petitions, news articles published on the plight of Kashmiri women to locate their husbands and children in the conflict zone.

When asked Rasika about her research she said, “It's a part of my job as an actor to do research work on a part I am going to play. That is the most basic thing that I can do. The more important thing is to somehow find a connect with people and situations which are seemingly beyond your own realm of experience. I always find it useful to accept to myself honestly that I will always be an outsider to another person's experience but , at the same time, I am craving to be let in. That leaves me both vulnerable and curious. But at the end of the day, I can only do my work to the best of my knowledge and hope that I have been sensitive to the people whose story we are attempting to tell especially when it's about people who have lived in conflict for so long”

Second song 'Sajna Sohne Jiha' from the movie Firangi

Rohit Khurana unplugged

1. Playing the title role of a mythological show is a huge responsibility how you see that as an actor? Is there any extra pressure as Kartikey Malviya played it very convincingly and he is very popular too?

> Well for an actor every role is challenging. I have spent few years in this industry, done different kind of roles in movies and serial. So I think for an actor he needs to put his best efforts and let the audience be the judge of my work. Kartikey played is character beautifully and I would say he is very talented, considering he is young and the audience loved his work.

2. We often say a term Shani Dasha do you believe in Shani's effects on humans?

> Of course I do, Shani is a planet of justice, fame and wealth. I am a very religious person, I worshipped him all throughout. Now, I am blessed to be playing the Lord himself.

3. According to you which show or character was a landmark in your career explain.

> In serial, Uttaran was a cult. It gave me the exposure that brought me closer to my audience and I would it became a turning point in my career.

4. Who is your idol/mentor in your life and why?

> My idol is my parents and then comes God. Because they brought me into this world and lord guided me to follow the path of righteousness.

5. What has been your struggle as an actor please share?

> Every actor has gone through a lot of ups and downs. When I came to Mumbai, I literally had nothing expect few bucks. I did modelling, gave auditions to earn my living. Gradually with my hard work, I came this far. I come from an average business family, where we stayed in Kaithal Haryana. I was actually born there. Then my parents moved to Delhi and started their business. I always knew If I have to be successful, I have to find my own way. So I am sure you can understand, the journey is not as easy as it looks. But then again, your struggle makes you better. I am fortunate and consider myself lucky in many ways.

6. How much time do you take to get into the look of Shani?

> It takes me close to an hour or so to get into the look of Shani.

7. What do you think of Siddharth Tiwary and Rahul Tewary the pillars of Swastik?

> They are our producers, they are extremely professional and good in what they do. One can learn a lot from them. They currently have four shows, Shani, Kaali, Porus (coming soon) and Shankar Jai Kishan.

8. You have worked in south films and one Punjabi film, what is your focus now as an actor?

> My focus is KShani right now, I devote and dedicate my efforts on one thing at a time. Let's not forget, TV is stronger medium to reach your fans. Especially when the show is telecast every day. I am not sure if you are aware, I actually turned down a movie role, just to play Shani.

9. What are your hobbies?

> My hobbies are sports, gymming, video games & listening to music

10. Any new thing which you want to learn now and why?

> In the era of technology, everything you see is new. I am a technology geek, so everything new I see, I am intrigued to know it.

Hasti is a multi-faceted character: Mohit Abrol

Actor Mohit Abrol, who is seen as Hasti in Siddharth Kumar Tewary's (Swastik Productions) Porus, says that his role is very special to him. The actor adds that his role has many variations which is what makes it so interesting. “The speciality about my role in Porus as Hasti is that I have a lot of layers, it’s a multi-faceted character. Working with Swastik has always been a pleasure. It’s homecoming for me as I have done Raziya Sultan before. Siddharth sir is an inspiration and I believe in his vision. That’s what prompted me to take this role,” he says.

He adds, “I really admire both Sidharath and Rahul sir. They make you really comfortable as an actor and take care of everything, as we are not shooting in Mumbai. They are more like family.”

Ask him how he prepares for the role, and he says, “There have been a lot of preparations, starting from the physical aspect of the character, for which I had to become muscular and lean, to training in martial arts, swimming, horse riding, sword fighting. As far as the mental aspect is concerned, I had to completely change my thought process and body language as it’s a period drama. It takes me around one and a half hours to get ready in my complete look.”

Much has been said about the grandness of the sets of Porus and Mohit agrees. “Working on such a grand set gives a lot of freedom to perform as you have more space. When you are on the set, it feels like you have gone in that era which makes my job much easier as a performer. I have been bonding really well with all the actors. It’s a really good team. I bond best with Hrishikesh Pandey,” he says.

Meanwhile, Mohit, who has been part of films as well as TV shows, says that he has always tried to choose diverse projects. “I started with a short film ‘Going Home’ which was directed by Vikas Behl starring Alia Bhat. After that, I did a lot of shows on TV starting with Balika Vadhu, MTV Fanah, Raziya Sultan, Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi, to name a few. The industry has been really kind to me, I have always gotten to play a lot of different characters. So far my journey has been amazing,” he says.

As someone who has worked in both TV shows and films, Mohit says that both industry work differently. “I think the difference between the films and television is the canvas. Films have a huge canvas as compared to television. As an actor, your performance is enhanced in films but somewhere in television, it’s limited because television is a medium of close shots. But television has a far wider range than films,” he says.

As far as the TV industry is concerned, it has progressed, says Mohit. “I have been working in the industry for three years. Changes have been good in terms of content. There are so many good shows on television. For example, our show is really huge and has terrific content. Production value is constantly on an increase. Shows are getting bigger and bigger,” he says.

The actor urges his fans to follow the show. “There are a lot of reasons to watch but the top two would be the visuals and performances. It’s going to take television to a different level, kudos to Siddharth sir!” he says.