This Friday, Sushmita Sen roars back as the fiery titular character in Aarya. Season 3 of the Disney+Hotstar show sees Aarya step into the business of drugs and murder in a bid to protect her children. At the trailer launch of the season in Mumbai recently, t2 sat down for a chat with Sushmita, Vikas Kumar (who plays the tough but sensitive cop Khan) and Ila Arun who makes an entry this season.

What is the first thought/ word/ image that comes to your mind when you hear ‘Aarya’?

Sushmita Sen: Durga....
Vikas Kumar: Sushmita Sen!
Ila Arun: For me, Sushmita is representative of the power of Durga....
Sushmita: That’s a huge compliment! Being a Bengali, I grew up with Durga Puja in Calcutta, in Allahabad where my maasi was and in Delhi where I used to live. Everywhere what stood out was the smoke, the dhol and this beautiful image of Maa Durga. It’s so empowering that she stands there with her children and with no man. There is a picture of Shiva on top, but she stands alone almost commandeering an army of children, and we are welcoming Maa home. As a child, that got stuck in my head and I thought that there was absolutely nothing that women couldn’t do. But whatever your cause may be, you have to become a warrior. It will not come easy. And who wants easy, anyway (smiles)?

Sushmita and Vikas, Aarya has been a huge success over two seasons. What have you been told about the show that makes you feel proud as well as responsible?

Sushmita: A lot of women have reached out on DM on Instagram. They are followers of Aarya. Given the world we live in, everyone’s got problems and most of it stems from family... whether they were stuck in a bad marriage or facing abuse. Many of them, because of Aarya, have found the power to leave and start from scratch. I get goosebumps thinking that this is the power of something that one watches on screen. And then, there has been the fact that daughters have been named Aarya.
Vikas: It’s a very family-friendly show. People love Sushmita as the protagonist. I was also pleasantly surprised that my character (Khan) is loved a lot by women. Though he is a cop, they find him to be very sensitive. Our writer Anu Singh told me that Lady Shri Ram College has a WhatsApp group on which they discuss ACP Khan (smiles).

Vikas Kumar as Khan

Ila, this is a world dominated by one powerful woman, Aarya. What was it like entering it as another powerful woman?

Ila: It was quite challenging to face a woman who has already shown her power. Aarya has been fighting the system and combating personal problems. She stands like a rock. My character Nalini also has a past. She’s a beautifully written character who clashes with Aarya. Through both these characters, the show represents women’s empowerment.
Sushmita: The menace with which her character stirs her cup of tea is not something I have ever seen before! It’s a shot that tells you everything about the power of this woman. Aarya is way louder than Nalini is. Nalini’s attitude is more like: ‘Maine duniya dekhi hain.’ I love that!

Sushmita, so much has been said about how much you lend yourself to Aarya. But how much does Aarya lend to you?

Sushmita: She has a certain don-giri that I try and avoid as much as I can! (Laughs) One season requires at least 40-42 days of shoot... 42 days mein personality change ho sakti hain, bhai! (Laughs) You can become Aarya very easily (laughs). She’s a beautiful embodiment of Shakti, but at times, in real life, I have to remember to tone it down a little. In the beginning, it was a bit of a problem, but abhi practice ho gayi hain... how to leave Aarya and come back (smiles).
Ila: After the shoot, Sushmita would get back and immediately take a shower.
Sushmita: I had to wash Aarya off!

How does Aarya inspire you?

Sushmita: I have been Aarya many times in my life in different situations. But I can’t imagine living in a world where your whole family betrays you, and that’s what happens to Aarya. How do you live with that? And then she has three children to whom she must teach trust. That is insane in Aarya... the fact that she can walk that balance is a very powerful lesson.

Ila Arun as Nalini

Sushmita, Aarya is a woman who is judged constantly but she has risen above that. In an industry and a world where a strong woman like you is always judged for her actions and choices, how do you combat that? Have things changed in the last few years?

Sushmita: Society is still not ready in its acceptance of strong women. There are no two ways about it. What has changed is that women were silent before... they were silent in action, they would hide and do things because they didn’t want to spoil the status quo. But that’s changing. I find women to be very vocal now, their thought process is made loud and clear by their actions. More importantly, I find that women are ready to face consequences for it, which makes them very dangerous (smiles).

When you are mysterious, you have a lot of power. It’s when you make a lot of noise — “women’s rights”, “I fight”, “I stand” — that you dilute it. Your attitude should be: “In a roomful of men having an opinion, try reaching me.” That’s power. Getting there takes time, experience and a lot of beating. Beating from the system, beating from your peers, beating from the conditioning.... It also takes a lot of getting up.

In the film industry or the corporate world, there is a representation of a man in a certain way. He makes it to CFO, CEO, COO.... When a woman gets to that position, she starts smoking like him, drinking like him, and talking to other men like him because she needs to fit in. That’s when you disempower yourself. Be a woman and do that job. You being a woman is far more dangerous and effective.

Team Aarya has always come across as a very strong unit. How important is it for you to bond with your co-actors off-set for the camaraderie and comfort to show on screen? What happens when you don’t like a co-star?

Vikas: This is a set where everyone is taken care of well. More than a producer and director, Ram Madhvani is a very good host. He ensures that everyone is happy. He knows that he has an able cast and crew which will do a good job. It’s a set where there is love, discipline, punctuality and no tantrums.
Sushmita: It is the only project I have done in my 30-year career where if the call sheet says 7am, it will begin at that time and end at 6pm. There is no delay even by five minutes. The entire team puts its heart and soul into the project.

Your question was very interesting. We don’t have to like people to do our job. But it’s a huge asset to like them because you are spending six months with these people. It’s a part of your life that will never come back. So you might as well be around people who make you happy (smiles).

Everyone knows Sushmita to be a beacon of positivity and warmth. Ila and Vikas, how much of that have you experienced while working with her?

Vikas: We had a workshop together for a whole day before Season 1. She came in and immediately put me at ease. She didn’t need to do that. It’s said about Mr Shah Rukh Khan ki aap unko ek baar miliye aur woh aapko khareed lete hain. You become a fan of his. The same applies to Sushmita. Every interaction with her is memorable because she makes it so personal. I am imbibing a lot of that myself.
Ila: She had done a lot of shopping in Jaipur, among which was a bandhni dupatta in white and purple. She loved it, but she immediately removed it and put it around me. She said: ‘What I love, I want to give to you.’ That’s what makes Sushmita who she is.

Sushmita Sen is the best choice for Aarya because... Tell t2@abp.in