Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; July 2, 2016)

Actors Mona Singh and Maheck Chahal are convinced their latest TV characters of good wife and bad spirit are not stereotypical. In fact, they are everywoman
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; June 26, 2016)

On the sets of Colors’ new show, Kavach… Kaali Shaktiyon Se, actors Mona Singh and Maheck Chahal are readying for a shot. The fair and petite Singh, known best for her role as the ugly duckling with a golden heart, in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, is dressed in a pink night gown. The manglasutra dangles prominently from neck around which her blondish hair falls in curls. Caramel skinned Chahal, last seen in Bigg Boss 5, wears her hair red. Her dark brown eyes are now jade with contacts.

Singh is Paridhi Rathore, good wife to Rajbir Bundela. Chahal is simply Manjulika. Spirits don’t have second names. Manjulika possesses Paridhi, who is protecting her husband. The spirit wants to harm him, and love him, if that’s possible. Their getups go with their characters. When we watch a few episodes of the supernatural show, a genre that’s gaining traction on Indian television, it is packed with theatrics and catfights. When we sit down with the two for a chat though, they deny that their portrayal is stereotypical. “Paridhi is not the sati savitri bahu,” says 34-year-old Singh, “She is an archaeologist, who doesn’t even believe in spirits and the like. It’s only when she sees the spirit that she turns believer.”

Singh insists her character talks to her in-laws like she would with friends, and doesn’t do any of what we expect soap bahus to do. Besides, she is not as vanilla as she seems. “I actually get Maheck’s character bumped off since she is troubling my husband, and has fallen in love with him. But then I realise, that my troubles aren’t over. She is back, and this time, I need to be evil myself to beat her. Also, when she possesses me, I am pretty terrible. There is no good girl here,” Singh laughs.



Chahal says that she was surprised when the role was offered to her. “I went for the reading and expected to play a vamp like most vamps on TV. But the makers asked me, ‘have you watched TV recently?' And I hadn’t. They told me, it’s changing. Your character has to be believable now, they said.”

Manjulika is actually a good girl, who goes bad. "She has had a horrible childhood, and has never known love. And then she falls in love with this man. But she isn’t sure how to express herself, so she goes overboard. Then, they kill her! Of course, she is going to return evil, right?" Playing the vamp and ghost isn’t as trying as we’d imagine. It’s not about always carrying an evil grin or sporting arched eyebrows. "If you watch the show, I am normal most of the time. It’s just when I want to terrify Mona’s character that I become a chudail. Otherwise, I am like any other normal girl."

Singh says she took on the offer when Ekta Kapoor of production giant Balaji Films offered it to her. "I have rejected so many roles where they’ve wanted me to play the typical bahu. I couldn’t do them, especially after I played Jassi, someone who was trying to break stereotypes," she says.

We ask the two why they think independent women would relate to the show.

"Every man today has a gharwali and baharwali, even if the latter is only a mirage in his head. So, that’s why! We are playing modern women who are fighting over a man. How unrealistic is that?" Chahal wonders.

Television actress Mona Singh talks about crossing over to the steamy and scheming dark side
Ektaa Malik (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 26, 2016)

"I am so out of my comfort zone, it's not funny," is the first thing she says as we meet her on the hectic sets of her latest TV show, in which she plays a woman possessed by an evil force. Seated on a green sofa (which contrasts rather well with her warmtoned yellow kurta), Singh is taking a breather between scenes when we catch her, with good intentions albeit. "I have 15 scenes slotted for today. It will be one of those crazy days," she adds.

The show's plot is densely populated with supernatural elements — an evil spirit, a scheming mother-witch, neongreen eyes that flicker with crepuscular malice, bodies that levitate from bed, and an entity in the house that only Singh is privy to. "I am very arty at heart. And in all the characters that I have played have been very real, pretty relatable. I mean when I played Jassi — we all could identify with her at some point in our lives. In Kya Huaa Tera Waada I played a woman dealing with a philandering husband and the trauma of the divorce that follows — real-life issues. And then one day, I get a call from Ekta (Kapoor), asking me whether I wanted to try out this new completely massy genre or continue to stick to my arty avatar," says Singh.

While Singh's character in the serial is simple, loving and devoted to her husband, her 'possessed' alter-ego is sultry, sexy, and not ashamed to make the first move. "I have never played this sexy diva on screen. I am essentially the girl-next door. And here I have to twirl my hair around the finger, give those 'come hither' looks. I am wearing sultry sarees with halters and backless blouses — I have never done this before. I have been married a multiple times on TV, but in the episode that aired last night — which had the suhagraat scene — I (in my possessed avatar, that is) make the first move on my husband. I climb on top of him to try and undo the buttons of his sherwani. I was feeling so shy that I even asked the director to ask all the other people to leave the room," says Singh. In her latest reinvention, Singh is only too happy to shed the Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes image like a slough that took some time to slide off.

"I was not worried about how people will perceive me, or how they will react to my sexy avatar. I am an actor, I want to push the envelope. I was nervous if I could pull of the character, but not worried about anything else," she quips.

Is the actor sceptical of superstition? Or does she believe in the netherworld of spirits, ghosts, shamans, what have you? "I know it exists. As in, I have heard detailed accounts and stories from my friends. But I have never experienced it first-hand. I am not scared while I am shooting, as the place is teeming with people. But there are times when I reach home late, I enter my building and I walk the corridor to the lift, alone. That's when I get psyched out, shares the actor. Yes, I do believe in dreams and signs. Every morning, I wake up and I write down the dreams that I have. And I believe in certain signs — like when I see butterflies, I know it will be a good day."

While Singh's contemporaries were honing the craft of playing victimised bahus, Singh chose to embrace over-sized spectacles, braces and the girl-next-door persona. The result was Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, our home-grown version of Ugly Betty. "I have never been a part of the saas-bahu brigade. I might not know what I want I want to do in my life. But I am very clear on what I don't want to do in my career. I didn't want to play this helpless woman on screen. I mean as an actor I have a social responsibility, and I exercise that responsibility with the roles I chose to portray. But I think that the saas-bahu cycle have run its course. That genre is ending," concludes Singh.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; June 14, 2016)

Maheck Chahal, best remembered for her sexy vampish role in Wanted attained fame when she did Bigg Boss. And now, the actress makes her fiction TV debut with Kawach-Kaali Shaktiyon Se. There were reports about her not doing the show as she suffered a leg injury, but the actress dismisses it saying she has worked hard for the show and has no plans of quitting. Last seen on TV in Power Couple with Ashmit Patel, the duo was accused of faking a relationship to be a part of the show. However, she rubbishes it saying their bond is stronger and they “are inseparable”. Over to Maheck...

You have stayed away from fiction shows. What prompted you to take up a Kawach — Kaali Shatktiyon Se?
I had a taste of TV with Bigg Boss, which changed my life. It made me a household name. Everywhere I went, people knew me. Even when people were casting me for a song in the movie it was easier. Everybody watches TV, but not everybody watches movies. However, I didn’t want to do a saas-bahu show, it is not my cup of tea. I want to juggle films and television, so if I wanted to try a fiction show it had to be something that would be for a short-term. I found my role in Kawach interesting — I play a sexy, seductive, dark character. Also, it is a finite show. With Ekta, who is the star of TV, I knew I was in good hands.

There were reports that you won’t be doing the show because you met with an accident...
Two weeks ago, I was training for kick boxing, which I have been doing for the last 12 years. I twisted my leg while doing a flying kick. I tore a ligament and also broke a bone. So, I had two injuries. However, I have been shooting for the show since a month and have worked hard. I spoke to the production house and they were very nice about it. They told me that my health is important and we will see how it goes. So, I shoot for a day and take an off the next day. But as the show’s launched I have been shooting for long hours standing on one leg. It will take time to heal and I have to rest for that. I do a lot of dance shows and that’s important to me. Even this show is important and I don’t want to lose it nor do I want to put the production house in a position where they will have to replace me.

You said you worked hard for the show. Did you have to prepare for it?
Not really, because it’s not that I wear dark make-up and scare people. I am not one of the aatmas who is screaming. My character puts this guy in a spell — she tricks him with her voice, silence and seduction. Once I got the mannerisms, it was pretty easy — I had to underplay it and my director gave me good feedback.

What do you think about doing a show that is steeped in black magic and super natural elements?
When it comes to TV, it’s very good, and different from saas bahu sagas. In this kind of a show you can mix horror, thriller, suspense and drama. It keeps you on the edge of your seat.

But isn’t it regressive?
No. If you show saas bahu shows, people will say wohi jhagda dikha rahe hai. If you show war and fighting, they will says you are promoting violence. If you show a love story and a boy and girl together before marriage, people say galat patti padha rahe ho. If you take up a religious issue, people object like they did with Aamir Khan’s PK. There is always something or the other. This genre is working because people are finding it interesting, else it would have been a flop.

When you and Ashmit Patel participated in Power Couple there was talk that you were faking a relationship for the show. Did you get affected?
We have been friends for a long time. We had been dating for three months before the show happened. So, when we were offered the show we thought it was a good platform for us. Living together day and night having breakfast & lunch together, doing tasks which were difficult, our bond grew strong. We were supportive of each other and when the show got over, we were inseparable.

When are you planning to take your relationship to the next level?
It’s not even a year since we are together. I am not a sweet 15 or 16, so when I get into a relationship I know where I am going. Both of us have had our share of breakups, ups and downs in our lives and are quite experienced. Ashmit makes me want to be a better person. We are similar except that he is more disciplined. Guys usually get intimidated by me — they feel I am strong. But with Ashmit, I don’t have that problem, I let him lead. We love working out together, watching movies, friends coming over, us going to our family’s place. We never get bored, it’s a good match.

The actress, who has suffered a serious knee injury, talks about boyfriend Ashmit Patel's support and how she hopes to resume the shoot for her debut fiction show soon
Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; June 4, 2016)