Your memory of the roles that she essayed in television serials, be it of ‘Nidhi’ in Shanti or of ‘Rukhsana’ in Tanha among others, may be a little rusty, but what you could not have forgotten is the passion that went into each one of those roles. Irawati Harshe is now ‘Iravati Harshe Mayadev’, married to Capt. Rohit Mayadev, and raring to go in the world of films after having given it a shot with Split Wide Open and Hey Ram. Incidentally, it was her voice that you heard in the Hindi version of The Golden Compass. “The people who I worked with on Face Off approached me with The Golden Compass. I had to lend my voice for the character played by Nicole Kidman. I enjoy dubbing for films and I gladly accepted the offer,” says Irawati.
Her forthcoming Hindi film projects are Mithya, Sagar Ballary-directed Kacha Nimbu and an untitled film by Saurabh Shukla. “Mithya releases on February 8. It has a really interesting script. Ranvir Sheorey gives a stellar performance in this one, and I play the role of his wife,” she reveals.
Television has taken a backseat for Irawati. “There is nothing earth shattering happening in television right now. Films seem to be coming of age.
“Also, a film requires lesser commitment in terms of time when compared to TV, and films seem to fit me perfectly that way, since I am mom to two children”. But that does not mean she will turn away a challenging role in television if an opportunity comes up.
A lesser-known fact about Irawati is her keen interest in writing. “It is something that I have always been interested in. I even penned a play while I was in college. I hope that someday my ideas will be manifested in a proper manner,” she says, adding that she would love to write a short story or a script for a film.
“Finally, we are getting to see the kind of stories that we would like to in films. Filmmakers are getting out of their mould when it comes to the films they are making. They have also realised that the audience is capable of so much more in terms of receiving films made differently. Taare Zameen Par is a fine example of that,” she says.
Surprisingly, theatre has never been an option for Irawati. “Theatre pushes your boundaries as an actor, which is what I want to do with films right now. But I have always been petrified of theatre,” she confesses, adding, “I bow down to theatre persons. I think they are fantastic.”
Ask her what her most challenging role has been so far, and she says: “Rukhsana in Tanha was a wonderful character to play. The writer of the show has a great body of work and it was a challenge to portray the part she had written. Challenging, but short-sold was the character in Hey Ram. I had to speak out lines in Tamil which was daunting”.
On motherhood, “I have two daughters, Devika aged two and Isha who is a year old. They are a handful! Children these days are so astute. Recently, I wasn’t feeling too well, but had to leave for work anyway, and Devika was busy instructing me on how I should take my medicines on time and that I should report to her Dad and her on how I was feeling in between shots. And I was like, ‘Where is all this coming from!’ ” laughs Irawati who seems to be having the time of her life, professionally and personally.
