How does it feel to return to a production house after almost 47 years? A lot like home, says Sarika, who had led Rajshri Productions’ Geet Gaata Chal in 1975. Today, she is a part of Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai that stars Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Boman Irani, and Parineeti Chopra. 

“While I would be happy to do any project for Rajshri Productions as it completes a circle for me, Uunchai felt different from everything I have done before,” begins the actor.

The November 11 offering is centred on three sexagenarians who go on a trek to the Himalayas to fulfil the dying wish of their friend, essayed by Danny Denzongpa. Sarika plays Mala, who joins them on the expedition. “Mala doesn’t speak much in the movie. I was happy because I don’t like to deliver too many dialogues. That said, you have to work harder to make the character’s presence felt.”

She, however, was assured of her character’s impact as she was guided by an able director in Barjatya. “Sooraj ji makes it a point to connect with everybody — from actors to technicians — before the shoot begins every day. He’d come to the vanity van daily, and go through the scene with me. In the beginning, I used to wonder why he did so. On the fourth day, I realized that he did this to maintain my character’s emotional continuity.”

After Baar Baar Dekho (2016), the National Award-winning actor went missing from the big screen. It was a delight to see her in Modern Love: Mumbai earlier this year. Asked about the break, Sarika says, “If you are lucky to get a good director like Alankrita [Shrivastava] or Sooraj ji, then it’s a wonderful journey. I wasn’t getting good scripts. Right now, we have so many good actors, but good scripts are limited. I kept waiting for substantial roles. Since I am an adventurous person, I took a break in 2016, and took up backstage theatre production. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up doing it for five years.”