For her, an actor is a craftsman rather than an artist and Sobhita Dhulipala invests a lot of herself in her craft. Basking in the accolades coming her way for the spy thriller The Night Manager, Mani Ratnam’s period films PS-I and PS-II, and the highly-anticipated Made In Heaven Season 2 where she plays wedding planner Tara Khanna, the actress from Visakhapatnam shares her insights from her journey and the things she would want to try out soon.

You have had five big releases in cinemas and on OTT of late and all have been well received. How does it feel?

Sobhita Dhulipala: Actually, I shot for all the releases over the last couple of years and a little bit through the lockdown. And after the lockdown, all the work I had until that point — Major, Kurup, PS-I, PS-II, The Night Manager and Made In Heaven Season 2 — all came out. I am so grateful that these releases have done well because somewhere it gives me the confidence that the choices I am making are connecting with people and they feel for it. I want to do good work and I really care about performance. So, yeah, it is motivating and feels good.

What have been your insights after playing such varied roles?

Sobhita Dhulipala: Personally, I am of the opinion that an actor should do everything, or at least attempt to do everything. At the end of the day, an actor is not an artist. An actor is a craftsman. You should be able to deliver the same acting, laugh or cry, at the same point in every take. And that requires technique.

It feels good when I do a variety of roles and they find resonance. Somewhere I feel that the audience is very sensitive, understanding and accepting. So, it’s really upon the actor to make sure they bring truth to it. I genuinely believe that the credit for good writing and direction goes to the makers. What an actor does is bring meaning to the silences where they have nothing to say. That is their playground. So, the endeavor is to bring truth to those moments.

How did you get into the characters of Kaveri from The Night Manager and Tara Khanna from Made In Heaven?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I could understand Kaveri’s conflicts. I might not have had the same experiences but I could feel her suppressed grief and I tried to give it form.

As for Tara, it is tricky to play someone who is better or smarter or more intelligent than you are. How do you play it? Tara is much feistier than I am. In many things, she is quite different from me. She is a very front-footed person but not expressive. She is very assertive but not very emotionally reactive. Tara Khanna is a paradox.

I had to show her circumstances without breaking the character and becoming too emotional because Tara feels everything but she does not show anything because she doesn’t like to look weak. So, to be a little cold, distant and aloof, which is her personality, and still express those feelings, required me to be very focused and work on technique.

Do you follow a routine while preparing for a role?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I firmly believe in prep. I think the time spent on understanding the core of a character — her fears, her aspirations, her belief systems — is very important to me. It differs from project to project but definitely a lot of reading and referencing, mood boards… different processes for different times but I strongly invest that time.

How do you reflect on your journey in terms of the roles you have played and the people you’ve worked with?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I think it has been a colourful journey. It has been a journey that has allowed me a lot of personal growth, and I think it’s really important for a person to have it. I believe that true growth is omnidirectional. You can’t just grow as a good actor and not have other areas of life developing. Only when you as a human being are growing, evolving and developing, do you have a space to bring into your performance where there’s relatability and grounding.

Are you conscious about choosing roles that would make filmmakers imagine you in more diverse characters?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I would love to. I am very grateful for the opportunities that have come by. But it is also important to me to do a variety of subjects and not repeat myself. Versatility is a virtue that I highly look up to. I want to do stuff that is different from what I have done and I hope it comes my way. I have made a deliberate choice not to sign just about anything because it’s important to also do what you feel for and not just what’s working.

I would love to do a comedy. Someone who has watched me in Made In Heaven wouldn’t imagine that I could be different from that. How can I convince anyone that I could do it except by getting that work and showing it through my performance?

I would love to do films in different languages and genres. I would love to do action and dance. I am a trained classical dancer. I would love to do something periodic. There are so many things I genuinely work towards. It’s not just wishful thinking. Every morning I wake up, I do acting exercises because I really care about the craft. Acting is not just a medium for me to become famous. It’s not so fickle.

You have worked in different film industries. Have you ever felt the need or pressure to sort of ‘fit in’?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I think I have always been a free electron that is just floating, apni dhun mein. I would love to feel anchored but my learning has been like wherever I go, I have taught myself to grow roots and wings.

Do you think that artists are misfits for certain things in regular life?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I think there’s a natural conflict that comes in. On some days, I feel like every department of life should be full or should be flowing correctly. That’s when you can have a healthy perspective on all things. But then I also know that artists are awara. When you’re like a kati patang, how do you anchor yourself? How do you find a manjha? So, yeah, I have that question mark.

Even I want to know from married superstars, ‘How do you do it?’ Especially, when you’re a creative person and you yourself are the product that you’re putting out there. It’s not like there’s a difference between you and the product.

What do you find most challenging about being an actor?

Sobhita Dhulipala: Honestly, finding opportunities and finding where to belong with those opportunities. Because there are certain things and skill sets that I have but people will not know about them until those skills are made visible through a film. So, finding an opportunity that allows you to show your skills is a bit challenging.

I can do action but until I don’t do an action film, nobody will know it. And how will I get an action film? By showing that I know action. So, it’s like a Catch-22. Similarly for dance. If I dance, they know I will dance but to dance I need to get a dance film. They say you haven’t danced [chuckles].

Is there an emotion that you struggle with while acting?

Sobhita Dhulipala: I don’t struggle with it but I find being ignorantly happy, unaware, that kind of joy I find it very difficult to access. It’s sad. Well, not really, because you know how much it takes to find an opportunity and eventually when you find it, you are so heavy with your learnings that to be just foolish, innocent and happy feels like a luxury that you can’t afford.