Showing posts with label Sarika interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarika interview. Show all posts
I tell Akshara Haasan not to carry baggage of any kind-Sarika
7:52 AM
Seema Sinha (BOMBAY TIMES; February 3, 2015)
Sarika is excited about
younger daughter Akshara's debut with
her Shamitabh, but what she fears is the comparison.“I tell her not to
carry baggage of any kind just because she is the youngest and there are
three people from the family before her who are already acting. Now,
the spotlight should be on her.We want to take a step back,“ says
Sarika.
While Akshara initially preferred being behind the camera and became an assistant director to Rahul Dholakia, her love for acting gradually came to the fore. “After being an assistant director and then dabbling in advertising, one day, she said she wanted to become an actor. It took some time for her to make up her mind and I was very comfortable in giving her that time,“ she says.
Although Sarika doesn't believe that star kids have it easy, she feels that her daughters' knowledge of cinema acts as an advantage for them.“Akshara knows about Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Shammi Kapoor... because I have passed on the stories to them. That is the best thing about being a star kid,“ says she.
Sarika says she shares a deep bond with Akshara. “She shares a lot with me and is very expressive,“ says the star mom. Further, talking about Akshara's strengths as an actress, Sarika says, “Her approach towards things is different. She is versatile and fearless. She doesn't care how she looks, which can be an advantage for her director. Even I was like that. Actresses should understand that sometimes, looking bad is beautiful. She is hearing scripts, and the more different and dark the role is, the more she is attracted to it.“
So, is there a possibility of the three ladies of the house sharing screen space? “Luckily, I am still working. So, it is possible, but there is always the risk of doing it just for the heck of casting. It has to be a script good enough to tempt the three of us,“ concludes Sarika.
MY MOM HELPED ME WITH MY DIALOGUES: AKSHARA
Akshara Haasan says that she wouldn't have managed Shamitabh without the guidance of her mother. Turns out, Sarika tutored her as far as dialogue delivery and diction were concerned. “My diction was terrible. I have lived in Chennai for a large part of my life. You barely get to hear or speak Hindi there. She helped me a lot with my dialogues. I would often not understand the subtext of my dialogues and she would explain them to me,“ says Akshara.
-Mohar Basu
While Akshara initially preferred being behind the camera and became an assistant director to Rahul Dholakia, her love for acting gradually came to the fore. “After being an assistant director and then dabbling in advertising, one day, she said she wanted to become an actor. It took some time for her to make up her mind and I was very comfortable in giving her that time,“ she says.
Although Sarika doesn't believe that star kids have it easy, she feels that her daughters' knowledge of cinema acts as an advantage for them.“Akshara knows about Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Shammi Kapoor... because I have passed on the stories to them. That is the best thing about being a star kid,“ says she.
Sarika says she shares a deep bond with Akshara. “She shares a lot with me and is very expressive,“ says the star mom. Further, talking about Akshara's strengths as an actress, Sarika says, “Her approach towards things is different. She is versatile and fearless. She doesn't care how she looks, which can be an advantage for her director. Even I was like that. Actresses should understand that sometimes, looking bad is beautiful. She is hearing scripts, and the more different and dark the role is, the more she is attracted to it.“
So, is there a possibility of the three ladies of the house sharing screen space? “Luckily, I am still working. So, it is possible, but there is always the risk of doing it just for the heck of casting. It has to be a script good enough to tempt the three of us,“ concludes Sarika.
MY MOM HELPED ME WITH MY DIALOGUES: AKSHARA
Akshara Haasan says that she wouldn't have managed Shamitabh without the guidance of her mother. Turns out, Sarika tutored her as far as dialogue delivery and diction were concerned. “My diction was terrible. I have lived in Chennai for a large part of my life. You barely get to hear or speak Hindi there. She helped me a lot with my dialogues. I would often not understand the subtext of my dialogues and she would explain them to me,“ says Akshara.
-Mohar Basu
Akshara couldn’t have had a better debut-Sarika
8:13 AM
Prateek Sur (DNA; January 14, 2015)
My first meeting with Sarika at the Taj Lands End
turned out to be quite a revelation! From whatever I have heard about
her, I expected the veteran actress to duck a few questions. Instead, I
was greeted by a down-to-earth, charming and a cheerful lady! She
answered all my questions (even the tricky ones). Here the veteran
actress talks about why she doesn’t work in films and her younger
daughter Akshara Haasan’s upcoming debut. Read on...
Akshara is making her debut this year with R Balki’s Shamitabh. What are you expecting from this film as her mother?
I think it’s bad to have expectations. I believe expectations come with a lot of pressure and that’s not cool. On the other hand, with R Balki at the top of this project, I am assured that everything in this film will be good, and great quality cinema-wise. People may or may not like the film, that will be their personal choice, but I am assured that Akshara couldn’t have had a better debut.
Go on...
You have seen Balki. He is not one of those run-of-the-mill filmmakers who will make just about anything. He makes quality cinema and that’s why stalwarts agree to be a part of his projects. That’s also why all his films have been superhit in the past and been loved by critics as well.
So you believe that he is the best launch pad for your daughter....
Not just for Akshara. Balki is the director for any actor. Period! Also when it’s your launch pad, it doubly increases your security as an actor. You know that you are in safe hands.
The films stars Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush in the lead roles. Don’t you think Akshara would have to stand very tall in order to match their acting talent? Won’t it be something too big to aim for in her debut film?
Balki, Bachchan, Dhanush, Ilayaraja and many such stalwarts are in this project. It was like Akshara going to a college. I can’t put it in any other way. They are all teachers and you can’t ask for better teachers. Now that the courses have finished, the results will be out soon and everyone will get to know how well she has fared in the exam.
You have worked with Amitabh Bachchan in the past and also recently in Yudh. How was your experience with him?
To be very honest, Mr Bachchan is very rocky. The reason I say this is because of his filmography. Look at his work. He has done practically everything in a lifetime. I don’t know which other actor would have done roles as varied as Mr Bachchan has done. I would really like to do the kind of work that he is doing, when I am his age.
You have shifted to being a character artist these days. As an actor does that change happen naturally?
My last release was Club 60, and I had a perfect leading lady angle in that film. I had a romantic angle with Farooque Sheikh. So you can’t say that was a character role. What basically has to be understood is that the role should be good. Else, I wouldn’t want to waste my time working in projects that I know may not see the light of the day.
So you are saying you have become choosy in picking up roles?
I believe filmmakers need to start writing more and more roles for actors and less for characters. In a general scenario we have roles written for hero, heroine, villain, item girl, etc. But ideally it should be written for the actors. If you have seen Rajat Kapoor’s last film Ankhon Dekhi, that was a film written for actors. Even Club 60 was written for actors and that’s why I chose to be a part of it. When this happens in our film industry, the actors start flourishing and that helps them better the quality of acting that they do.
Do you think your daughters are also getting victimised by this? Because most of the roles that they pick up are character-driven and not actor-driven?
Let’s not jump the gun with Akshara right now. You will have to see Shamitabh to know what has been written for her as an actor. I can’t say that in future she wouldn’t give in to the craze of character driven roles, but we can’t say that now.
And what about Shruti Haasan?
Shruti has taken her decisions and those seem to have worked for her brilliantly. As long as it works for her there is no harm. She has already proved her mettle as she is an established actor. Let’s get all our focus on Akshara now.
You have been part of TV. What do you think about it as a medium? Would you suggest TV to your daughters?
See as an actor my basic need is to perform. If the role that I have been offered, I feel that the actor in me can do well, then I would definitely do it. Now whether that is shown on TV or on the big screen doesn’t really matter. However, it is imperative to check fully before you sign any project as many a time a project starts with great intentions but doesn’t see the light of the day. That hurts an actor. That’s why it is very important to see if the producers are good and if the director is capable enough of steering the film in the right direction. At the end, more than the money, it’s the recognition that an actor gets is what matters to him/her. The medium is just secondary.
You reportedly hold Akshara back from going out and having boyfriends and make sure that she spends most of her time shooting and working for her film. How true is that?
No. Never have I done anything of that sort.
What other future projects are you working on?
I am reading a lot of scripts these days. Whenever there is something I find interesting to do, I will sign it then and there.
Akshara Haasan is fearless, like an innocent child-Sarika
7:52 AM
Sarika talks about her younger daughter Akshara who will take a bow as Balki's baby
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 30, 2014)
Her younger daughter, Sarika
admits, has always been artistically inclined,
impressing with sketches since a young age. So, it didn't come
as a surprise when Akshara decided to figure out her true calling by
turning an assistant to Rahul Dholakia on Parzania and later Society.“She's a hardcore actress; this is what she wants to do. Even before she decided to be one, she was spoofing films on home videos. She has a great sense of humour, a clarity of vision and a sense of responsibility which will work to her advantage. Her decision didn't surprise us but it had to come from her,“ says the proud mother,“ says the proud mother.
Sariika was delighted when R Balki presented Akshara with a “brilliantly original“ script and the opportunity to work with two National Award-winning actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush, in her debut film, Shamitabh.
“It was like going to university and Akshara took it in the right spirit. As an actor she has the fearlessness of an innocent child. Anything different, even if it's dark, excites her,“ says Sarika, who like her former husband Kamal Haasan, has always been open to daring, offbeat subjects. “But at the end of the day every child is an unique individual and this fearlessness is a part of Akshara's character rather than her legacy.“
Talking of legacies, Sarika sympathises with the fact that being the youngest, Akshara has to constantly field questions about her parents and elder sister Shruti. “But she's putting up with the three of us rather gracefully,“ she laughs.
Interestingly, Sarika is yet to see her daughter on screen and has been on the sets only twice. “I was dying to see her everyday but when your parents are from the same industry, it's inevitable that they would know the people you are working with. I was working simultaneously with Mr Bachchan for a TV series, but it was important for Akshara to think of him as her co-star and the rest of the Shamitabh team as hers. So though we discussed work, at the end of the day, professionally she was Balki's baby.“
When you are doing a project with Mr Bachchan, you can be sure of quality-Sarika
8:34 AM
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; July 10, 2014)
National Award-winning actress Sarika will soon make her television debut with a finite show, Yudh. In a friendly chat, she tells us why she chose the show, her life as an actor, and her career plans. Excerpts:
Is Amitabh Bachchan the reason for your TV debut?
It is one of the main reasons. When you are doing a project with Mr Bachchan, you can be sure of quality. Another reason is the people associated with the show. When you have three directors like Shoojit Sircar, Anurag Kashyap and Ribhu Dasgupta working on a project, how can you say no? The show has been treated like a film, it has the sensibilities of very good cinema.
Tell us about your character. Is she strong or vulnerable?
I play a civil servant, a woman who stands up for her beliefs. She shares a strong relationship with her daughter.
Is the character similar to you?
While choosing a character, I always try to move away from my personal life. I don't want the character to react the way I would in personal life. As actors, we want to do something different; that's the perk of this profession. Motherly instinct is the same for everyone, so you might find that similarity between me and the character. There is no other similarity.
You started life afresh after 43. How tough was that?
I take life as it comes. I am happy that life has blessed me with many good opportunities, but I have no expectations from it. I am fortunate that I am not lost in the crowd. It is also a good time for my daughters.
I only have gratitude towards life.
Were you always this strong or has life made you stronger?
I don't know if one can say that because everyone has their vulnerable moments at different points in life.
You have to take certain calls in your life and be honest to yourself. The strength lies in being right. You should be able to face yourself in the mirror the next day. One does not necessarily go out there to be strong.
Coming back to television, it's said acting on TV is more difficult. Would you agree?
We didn't work the way a regular TV show would function, so I can't say much on that. It was more like the extension of a film. I never felt the difference.
Are we going to see you more on television? Also, what kind of TV shows do you watch?
I watch TV, because as an actor, I should be aware of what's happening around me. I will not be part of a regular TV show, but if something like this comes up, I will go ahead.
You're known to not like make-up. In Yudh, have you tried to go minimal?
I hate make-up. I believe that after a while, viewers will accept you as you are and look for more things like performance, treatment to a character and so on...
You started acting at four and continued till 28, after which you took a break and then pursued costume designing and sound direction. So, will there be any other creative pursuits or is it only acting for now?
Acting and films are my learning ground, it is my university . I have been involved with costume designing and sound direction, but my main interest would always be acting. I want to be pampered as an actor.
Yudh will launch on July 14, and air from Monday to Thursday at 10.30 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.
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