JOIN USSunita Rajwar: ‘Panchayat’ will always be memorable
Sunita Rajwar swayed into peoples’ hearts with her swag and constant banter as Bittu ki Mummy in the acclaimed Hindi web series ‘Gullak’ (2019). Sunita has featured in successful Bollywood films like ‘Ek Chaalis ki Last Local’, ‘Kedarnath’, ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan’, ‘Stree’ and ‘Bala’ among many others.
Her recent best work was seen in the highly successful web series ‘Panchayat’. The actor spoke to Showtime about her career. Excerpts:
Panchayat has seen a stupendous success. How was it working for the web series?
My performance in ‘Gullak’ grabbed eyeballs and TVF, the production house that was creating ‘Panchayat’, was impressed with my efforts. That’s how I landed the role of Kranti Devi in ‘Panchayat’. Both the series are written well and that pushes you to do well. I shared an excellent rapport with many of my co-stars. I knew many of them from my stint in the National School of Drama. Thanks to teamwork, we negated difficulties faced while shooting in a village. The experience of working for ‘Panchayat’ will always be memorable.
You have had an interesting journey so far — from Bareli to Haldwani in the Nainital district and then to Mumbai via the National School of Drama in Delhi…
I didn’t dream of becoming an actor. I wasn’t great at academics. I was attracted to the Defence services and even considered journalism at one time. However, I grew up watching movies on the big screen since my parents were big movie buffs. Life is unpredictable and I strongly believe in destiny — it dishes out what you are meant to have and do — and here I am!
While some go to acting institutes to learn the craft, some never undergo training. What goes into making an actor?
Many actors are natural performers. They are naturally gifted but can be further enhanced — much like a diamond, the lustre and value of which improves with polishing. With due respect to actors who have made it big without any acting background or formal training, I feel they were helped considerably by the luck factor. It does play a big part in terms of actors getting the right roles, and projects. I feel that other performing arts like singing and dancing can be learnt with regular practice whereas, in the case of acting, skill grows with experience. An initial formal training gives a head-start in refining the craft.
Among the roles you’ve played, which has been the most enjoyable one, and which has been the most challenging?
My roles that received love from the audiences were Chakli in ‘Ek Chaalis ki Last Local’, Champa from ‘Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhaan’, the old lady in ‘Kedarnath’, Bittu ki Mummy in ‘Gullak’ and Kranti Devi in ‘Panchayat’. I did a series with TVF for YouTube called ‘The Glitch’ where I played contrasting roles of an 80-year-old grandmother and her 20-year-old granddaughter. Their souls get interchanged. I found it challenging as I have never ever been around or had a chance to keenly observe senior citizens closely. Playing the role of a 20-year-old girl of this day and age was equally difficult. Generally, it takes a day or two to get into the skin and groove of such characters and once that happens, things flow smoothly.