Actor Meghna Malik realised that Usha Rani Nehwal is a woman of substance after playing the character in Saina. By Ayushi Sharma
If not as Farah in Chalte Chalte or Tulika from Pagglait, one would, undoubtedly, remember actor Meghna Malik as Ammaji of Na Aana Is Des Laado and Usha Rani Nehwal from the biopic Saina. Before the world television premiere of the film, Malik gets candid about her preparation process, a hunger that drives her to the next role, and much more. Excerpts:
You must have spent a lot of time with Ushaji to get into the skin of character...
Well, the fact is that I was not able to meet Ushaji but Amolji (Gupte) met Saina and her parents. He was my guiding light here. I prepared by watching a lot of her interviews. I was shown many old pictures of Saina and Ushaji. Right from her dressing sense, aura, dialect, energy to the way she reacts to certain situations and the bond that she shares with Saina, I noticed every tiny detail about Ushaji.
Let me share one instance that I clearly remember. When I was shown her old family pictures, I noticed that Ushaji had a habit of carrying a bag with her at all times. It was because she was very cautious about Saina’s needs. In the film, you would have noticed her style of carrying a bag. Just like how mothers are, Ushaji always had the best interest of Saina in her mind. She is somebody who is unburdened by the expectation of perfection.
Ushaji herself was a sports person, a state-level badminton player. I can recall another small but important detail about her; she used to always put on sports shoes on salwar kurta, exuding remarkable confidence. Even without meeting her in person, I know that she is a woman of substance, comfortable in her own shoes. I have tried hard to capture all these intricacies.
There’s one sequence in the film where the mother (me) slaps the child (Saina) because she made some wrong move in the tournament. This incident actually happened, and I got to know it while watching Ushaji and Saina’s interview, where they discussed this episode. Ushaji told Saina ‘arey maine toh halke se mara tha.’ But Saina responds by saying, ‘Nahi nahi bhot zor se mara tha, apko yaad nahi hai’. And they were crazily laughing about it. From that interview, I got to know the bond that the mother-daughter share with each other. These were some of the points that I have tried bringing it out into the portrayal.
How was your experience of playing such a boisterous character?
The experience was super fun. It was really amazing to capture the spirit of a mother, who has been always there for her daughter. She has been there to motivate her, scold her when she’s wrong, praise her for her achievements, and support her for her failures. She was there to ensure that she does not get distracted from anything. There were really beautiful dialogues in the film, which truly conveyed her spirit.
You have been a part of this industry for nearly two decades. What’s your process of picking a film?
You are sounding as if mere charon taraf scripts hi scripts rehti ho (laughs). Sometimes, it’s the money because, of course, you need to pay your bills; sometimes, it’s the ensemble cast, production house or at times because of the director... I mean it depends on the project. For example, when I did Pagglait, it was a very small part and it got edited even further, but it was about the script. I had really loved it. And here, in Saina, the character, script, director, everything was amazing. Ushaji coming from Haryana, I could easily relate to that landscape. It was almost to the point where I made Amolji believe to cast me in the film. I said ‘aap or kisi ko le hi nahi sakte, yeh toh mujhe hi karna hai’. And he said, ‘yehi Usha Rani ki spirit hai jo mujhe chahiye’.
From Chalte Chalte to Saina. How would you describe your transition?
(After a long pause, she says...) Over the years, the journey has been great. As I said, at times you get very small parts, and other times, you get interesting roles, where you actually want to capture the soul of the character. But I feel you have to be really lucky to always get meaty roles where you can actually bite into them and relish. It’s not always like this, at least with me. I consider myself a student even today. I am still learning. The more challenging role, the more confident you eventually get. You feel happy about the learning process. I strongly feel that the audience should love what you do, and you must enjoy the process while you do it. And I have always believed that the journey is often more beautiful than the destination.
I want to do so much more. I want to play different characters, and learn from them. I don’t think I have accomplished anything yet. But I still feel lucky that people recognise me. God has been kind to me that way. I am this person who never gets disappointed by rejections. I learn and move on. I believe in focussing on tomorrow. It’s not necessary that every time that you want something, will come your way. But what you can do is: Do your best to achieve it. I can only put in the hard work, rest is upon luck!
(The film premieres on Zee Cinema on Sunday, July 25, 12 noon.)