Working for three decades in the film industry, actor Mita Vashisht is known to portray powerful roles. In her recent performance, as ‘Durgeshwari’ or ‘Bai Saab’, in Zee Theatre’s teleplay Agnipankh, Mita Vashisht has garnered appreciation from critics and the audience. The play which was written post-independence is still relevant in today’s world, thanks to its strong character graphs.
A graduate of the National School of Drama (NSD), Mita made her movie debut with Yash Chopra’s Chandni in 1989 but she earned recognition with films like Drishti, Drokhaal, Ghulam and Taal and later became a household name with TV shows like Swabhimaan and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. She has also worked in web series like Criminal Justice and Your Honour. Mita talks with Indulge about her role in the play and her journey in the film industry. Excerpts:
Tell us about your role in Agnipankh.
I play the matriarch of a zamindar family in Maharashtra in a play set in 1948. Agnipankh is the Hindi adaptation of PL Mayekar’s epic Marathi play of the same name. It is one of the rare social dramas from that era where the woman is at the centre and has a strong character graph.
How did you prepare for the role?
When I took the character, I focussed on the script first as it was not an easy role to portray. I worked hard on mastering the dialogues, her style of talking. In a two-and-a-half months time, we had set up the entire play. It was a great experience to work with director Ganesh Yadav and the team of actors.
You have worked on different platforms — theatre, movie, television and OTT. Which one is close to your heart?
All platforms are big for me. OTT and television gave me the money to do theatre and survive in Mumbai, as it is an expensive city. I was fortunate that I got to work on different platforms at different stages of my career. As actors, we give 100 per cent to all our roles regardless of platform. In fact, I feel I am blessed to do the roles I have done to date.
During your decades-long journey in the industry, do you have any regrets?
One of my regrets is that I didn’t glam up during my initial days. I used to think that only talent should do the talking and didn’t focus on make-up, dressing and networking. Once I was invited to a Diwali party at Yash Chopra’s house. I ended up wearing jeans and a t-shirt as I didn’t realise how big getting invited to such a party was.
With so much negativity around, how do you keep yourself positive?
Believing in oneself is important. Also, there should be no place for arrogance and indiscipline.
What else are you working on?
I have been writing a memoir about my experiences and journey. I also have two movies lined up for release. One is a horror film with Nushrratt Bharuccha titled Chhorii and another is Good Luck Jerry, a black comedy crime movie starring Janhvi Kapoor.
Streaming on Tatasky Theatre
— reshmichakravorthy@newindianexpress.com @reshmi190488