'Being bold is beautiful'

Actor Sandhya Mridul is known for essaying powerful roles on television as well as in Bollywood. Her latest venture is Pan Nalin’s movie Angry Indian Godesses (AIG), where she plays the role of a business woman. The movie has already created a buzz, both nationally and internationally, but the Censor Board recently chopped off some ‘bold’ dialogues from the movie saying it had profane references to Hindu Goddesses.

According to Mridul, there is nothing wrong in boldness, it rather shows one’s inner strength. She says, “Being bold is beautiful. It means being brave and courageous. It has nothing to do with criticism. And when we talk about the movie, we are not trying to influence anyone. Anyone who will watch the movie can relate it to herself or someone he or she knows. It is the reality and nothing else.”

Mridul, who plays the role of Suranjana, says it was her courage that made her sign the movie, which is based on female bonding and combating patriarchy, and “take a leap of faith.”

She adds that not many Bollywood movies are women-centric because there is a “myth” related to it. “People do not want to do what is not done by others. They always follow what is tried and tested. They think that a movie with woman in the lead can’t do well. But change is happening and they need to know that even women are more vocal. It’s high time now, audience wants to see such movies. The success of Queen, Kahani are examples.”

Talking about how she bagged the role, Mridul tells Metrolife, “It was a year ago when I met Dilip Shankar, who is now the casting director of AIG, and was discussing the kind of roles I like to do. One fine day, I got a call from Dilip who asked me to meet Nalin. After I talked to him, I felt like signing the movie without even reading the script.”

The 40-year-old, who gained popularity with her role as Kaajal in TV soap Koshish - Ek Aashaa, believes that though television projects are lengthy they can be a “powerful medium” if taken in the right way.

“It has been 10 years now since I did the serial, but till date people ask me about it. While I was in Toronto, I was shocked to see how people still remember my character and appreciate it,” says Mridul, who is an admirer of Helen.