“It still feels like a dream,” says actress Sheetal Kale, who is getting used to the appreciation she is receiving for her performance as Nargis in the Sushmita Sen-starrer Taali, streaming on JioCinema. The six-episode series is directed by National Award-winning director Ravi Jadhav. In a candid chat, Sheetal talks about her hesitation in taking up the character, working with Sushmita Sen and landing a big role just before she was about to give up acting.

How did you land the role in Taali streaming on JioCinema?

Sheetal Kale: I got this role through auditions. When I was finally shortlisted to play the role of Nargis, casting director Paragg Mehta told me that I did well in the audition but acting on the set is altogether a different ballgame. You will have to give your best. I promised him that I would give my hundred per cent to Nargis.

Actually, I must share that I never thought that I would play a transgender character. When I got to know about the role, I even doubted whether playing this role early on in my career would have an impact on the opportunities that I might get in the future.

But I also realised that there was a huge potential in this role. There are various emotions and shades in the character with which I could show my acting talent. So, I decided to take it up.

How did you prepare for the role of Nargis?

Sheetal Kale: When I read about Shreegauri Sawant’s life, I got to know that there was someone like Nargis in her life. I did some research on what Nargis was like. I read about the character. The brief given to me was that Nargis is bold and caring. She is the head of the transgender community. So, I had to get Nargis’s body language, mannerisms and diction right.

There’s a character in Taali called Muthu with whom Nargis is in love. She even gets his name tattooed on her arm. There comes a time when Nargis leaves Gauri to marry Muthu. But then Muthu leaves Nargis. Nargis decides to die by suicide. During that time, transgenders did not get a death certificate. Then Gauri takes up this issue and starts working towards getting a death certificate for transgenders.

So, learning about all that helped me understand the role better and improve my performance. Also, being directed by Ravi Jadhav helped a lot. He knows how to get nuanced performances from his actors.

How was the experience of working with Sushmita Sen in Taali?

Sheetal Kale: I learnt a lot from Sushmita Sen on the sets. She was extremely supportive and created equal space for me during our scenes together. I was fortunate to have worked with her.

Which is your most memorable scene with Sushmita Sen in Taali?

Sheetal Kale: The scene where there’s a gathering and Nargis gets angry at Ganesh aka Gauri. I was terrified because I had to get angry at an actress of Sushmita Sen’s stature. I had to pull her by her collar. I asked Sushmita ma’am, ‘Can I pull your collar?’ She said, ‘You can pull me from anywhere, but we have to give a good take.’

This is your first big role. How important is it for you?

Sheetal Kale: Taali and Nargis are extremely special and important to me. Before this, I had done many plays with the Karma Kala Manch theatre group in Mumbai. I also did a couple of films, Atal Faisla (2018) and Jai Chhati Maa (2020).

I have faced a lot of rejections. There were times when I was cast for a part but the projects got shelved. For an actor, patience and will power are extremely important. Otherwise, you won’t be able to survive in the industry. Too many rejections can shake your confidence and you might feel like quitting this field. And there was a time like that in my life. But when I was about to quit, I got Taali.

When I was finally on board for Taali, there was only one song playing in my head, ‘Dene wala jab bhi deta deta chhappad phaad ke.’