Thank you for asking such wonderful questions. As actors, we want to be able to speak about our journey and our craft. So much hard work goes into it and it’s so nice to be asked about those things,” the always warm and articulate Sobhita Dhulipala tells me as we chat. The actor, who has always been known for her quality work and her clarity of thought and purpose, is basking in the success of The Night Manager, her latest web series on Disney+Hotstar as well as Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan II a few months ago.
The Night Manager has notched up amazing numbers and has become the most-watched show ever on Disney+Hotstar. Recently, you were voted as one of the most popular faces as per an IMDb poll. What do these descriptors and numbers mean to you as an actor? Besides showing you that you are making the right choices, do they also work in increasing your confidence level as an actor?
To some extent, yes. More than a boost of confidence, it is motivating, I feel encouraged. I have done more than my share of auditions before I found my first film. And then, every step of the way, I have been trying to make choices that made sense to me and I have given it my one hundred per cent.
So when recognition comes in, it really reaches my heart and it nourishes me and it makes me feel confident one thousand per cent more. It’s a gratitude reminder and a source of motivation for me. And, of course, it feels wonderful... it really does charge me.
Kaveri in The Night Manager is a very intriguing character and has a very interesting graph. Which aspects of her resonated with you the most and what were the most difficult bits to play?
I feel like it’s important to read characters — man, woman, any character — with sensitivity and devoid of judgment. I have related to every character that I have played and still have been very, very separate from them in every sense of the word. It’s very easy to view characters as absolute good or absolute bad... hero or villain... these things are very easy.
But when a character makes questionable choices and is still suffering from the consequences of those choices and gracefully so, there is a certain intrigue, charm, grief, and softness.... I think these things about Kaveri have really struck me as being very special.
Do you need to empathise with your characters, in particular with someone like Kaveri, in order to play them?
Absolutely! I think it is amazing for an actor to have a vast body of life experiences which enables us to play characters with as much authenticity as possible. Obviously, we can’t experience everything. Where we cannot go, our imagination goes, and our empathy goes. Empathy is inevitable, not just for actors but for everyone. In the case of actors, it becomes even more crucial because we have to bring a certain truthfulness to the parts that we play.
How has the nature of the offers that come to you now, both in films and on streaming, evolved in the last few years as opposed to when you started out?
The choices that we make tend to shape perception... how we are seen, how we are consumed, how one feels about an actor. I wish it was not like that, in a way, because every actor wants to play a variety of parts and wants to belong to different worlds and stories.
But having said that, I am enjoying the kind of parts that are coming my way and I hope that I get to delve into more variety. I would love to do comedy, I would love to do action, I would love to do a dance film. I don’t want to be limited by perception and I hope things can work out for me in that way.
For most actors, working in a Mani Ratnam film is considered the apex of their career. Where would you place the two Ponniyin Selvan films in your filmography in terms of opportunity and experience and what was it like being directed by Mani sir?
As you said, working in a Mani Ratnam film is definitely an experience to savour. It really has a special place in everyone’s filmography as well as life experience. Mani sir is a very curious artiste and has the hunger of a child. That is quite inspiring because after being so accomplished to see that sort of spirit of craftmanship of someone who is a team player.... I think it’s very beautiful to witness.
The novel Ponniyin Selvan, on which PS I and II are based, is very special to the Tamil population and a huge part of Tamil culture, both in terms of the history of the Cholas and also the sheer success of these books and their impact on the hearts and minds of the people. To bring it to life has been special. This has been such a dream for Mani sir and to be able to dance to A.R. Rahman’s songs was such a special experience (smiles). I hope to have more of that experience.
You have always spoken about the need to belong, much like Tara, the character you play in Made in Heaven. Do you still feel like an ‘outsider’?
Wow, that’s a very deep question (smiles). I think the desire to belong is inherently a human need, it is a function of human nature to belong. And in striving to belong, life happens, I guess (laughs). I don’t know if I am an insider or an outsider. I am neither this nor that, neither rich nor poor. I am just a medium for stories to be told.
I know that you are a voracious reader. What are you reading currently and could you recommend three of your recent reads to our readers?
Reading is a need for me. It is what anchors me. A book that I have recently read that had a huge influence on me is Garuda Purana by Devdutt Pattanaik. It totally blew my mind. The second is Atomic Habits by James Clear and the third is a tricky book, which took me a long time to read because I found it to be very heavy, but it’s pretty life-changing. It’s called Women Who Run with the Wolves (by Clarissa Pinkola Estes).
Many actors are consumed by the work that they do. You seem like someone who is very dedicated to your job but also has a fulfilling life outside acting. Are there any things that you do outside of your career that directly or indirectly contribute to when you are in front of the camera? I know that people-gazing is something you enjoy...
I do enjoy people-gazing very much (laughs). I have always believed that life is a dynamic, ever-moving thing and that we are always a work in progress. I genuinely believe that we are here to witness this spectacle called life and go by... this is like a sail on a boat from one shore to another. I believe in rebirth. Reading and travel, cooking... I am blessed to have a lot of hobbies which not only ground me but also liberate me. And they definitely contribute to the person I am, and the person I am renders itself to the parts that I play.
We are often told about how women are gaining agency on screen and off it. For someone who is in the middle of it, what else do you think needs to be done? Pay parity, despite women front-lining films and shows, is still a problem....
There is a lot that can be done. The reality is that women only started working during the World War and because men were on the battlefield, women had to take up jobs. Independence of thought, of finance, of social front lining is so new for women... it’s not even 100 years old.
As women, we are still on the journey to discovering what is our purpose within the social sector. Jobs, gender dynamics, power equations... we are all navigating through these spaces. We want to be confident and healthy contributors in the work sector, but we also want to have fulfilling relationships. Striking a balance between these two is something all of us as women are navigating. Things like pay parity are still in a subcategory.
We are a while away from arriving at some kind of clarity because society is designed for men to be at work and for women to be at home, and that has been done for centuries. We are just arriving at changing that now and there are larger issues that need redressal. And I am sure it will happen over time.
Finally, is there anything you watched recently that had an impact on you?
I watched Sharmila Tagore ma’am’s Gulmohar and I felt it is such a beautiful film because it has sensitivity, grief, joy, nostalgia, and innocence and all of these come together beautifully within the four walls of what we call home. At its core, I think, every family is dysfunctional and somewhere, we try to make peace with who we are, we try to grow up and be responsible. I really enjoyed that film, it was so wholesome and it was lovely to see her make a splash so charmingly once again.
Priyanka RoyWhich is your favourite Sobhita Dhulipala role? Tell t2@abp.in