Almost no difference in acting between films and OTT series: Sheeba Chadha

Guwahati, Mar 16 (PTI) Actor Sheeba Chadha, known for her roles in movies such as “Badhaai Do” and “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” as well as series like “Mirzapur” and “Bandish Bandits”, says there is hardly any difference between working in a feature film and web shows.

According to the actor, the only difference could be that a performer is allowed more time to get into the depth of their character.

“I really don’t find much difference. The crews are so osmotic that people working in one medium are also working for the other. One is long format and the other has finiteness in features. Actors like us get more compounded, fleshed-out characters in OTT with more space and time to explore, which is not possible in a film.

“That difference is there. In the sheer experience of working, I don’t find it much different. In the performance, I don’t find any difference… But sometimes a really well-nuanced and well-written character in a film too will give you that (satisfaction). You can have a long drawn out, fleshed-out series in a character but it might not give you the same satisfaction,” Chadha told PTI in an interview.

The acclaimed actor started her career with 1998’s “Dil Se..” and played pivotal roles in “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”, “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani”, “Murder”, “Parzania”, “Delhi-6”, “Raees”, “Gully Boy”, and “Doctor G”, among others.

Chadha, 52, said she didn’t have any ‘ideal or dream character’ on her list.

Asked how she chooses her characters, she said: “There is no science to it. I don’t go about it in a very detailed way. Of course, the character has to be interesting enough with a definitive space in the story. After that, it’s just the maths of dates, money and other things. It’s quite simple.”

Chadha, also a well-known theatre actor, said she is not getting enough time to do plays due to her busy work schedule.

“Yes, I am doing less theatre. I don’t think I should be calling myself a theatre practitioner right now, because I am not practising theatre right now,” she added.

The actor said she earlier used to think that being away from the stage would be impossible for her.

“But I have found out that it has not been so. Organically, cinema and OTT have been at the centre of my life now, but it’s (theatre) not going to go anywhere. Right now it’s just not allowing me the time and investment needed for theatre.

“You can’t just start a rehearsal (for a play) and say one of my film projects has come and I am not going to do it. You cannot do that. I am not finding that kind of space right now to truly invest, but in times to come it will happen, I know it. I will be doing it for sure.”

Chadha also said she hasn’t been able to watch many movies in the recent years due to her work engagements.

“Especially Malayalam cinema that I really want to start watching. I have been hearing wonderful stuff about it,” she said, adding that every kind of cinema has its place in society.

Bollywood has its place because its reach is of another kind and everybody consumes Hindi cinema all over the country, added the actor.

“Now, we have access to regional cinema. When we started, we used to watch a lot of world cinema, but not so much regional. Of course, (Satyajit) Ray and (Ritwik) Ghatak used to be classics. Now, we have a lot of Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam (films). So, any kind of cinema is good. The more we can make, the better.”

Chadha, who has portrayed some of the most layered characters in cinema, said it is immaterial if a film telling a story of a woman is directed by a man or a woman.

“It depends on how deeply you are immersed in the story that you want to tell. Then I think beyond a point gender may not matter so much,” she added.

Asked if Indian cinema, especially Bollywood, has been true in projecting women, the actor said she wasn’t sure if it was easy to answer this question.

“At all points of time, people will be represented and shown as in the society, maybe not on centre stage. One will have films where one sees a lot of representation in a more nuanced and explorative way, and we are seeing that over time. Has it been done to its best? Probably not. That scope is limitless for any kind of exploration because it (cinema) is evolving.”