Donning a new avatar

Madirakshi Mundle, who shot to fame with her role as Sita in ‘Siya Ke Ram’ is currently essaying a role Haryanvi girl, Munni, in her new show ‘Jaat Ki Jugni’ on Sony TV. Before her television debut Madirakshi has done a Telugu film ‘Ori Devudoy’ in 2015. In a candid chat Madirakshi talks about her road to fame and the new show

With ‘Siya Ke Ram’, you became a household name. Did you ever expect such welcoming response from the audience?
All of us as children grew up with epics like ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ and so the stories are more or less well-known to most Indians through generations. The story of ‘Siya Ke Ram’ was narrated from the point of view of Sita and we knew that there would be definitely a high level of curiosity. But the response from our audience and the overwhelming affection took me by surprise. The fact that it is running in six Indian languages and is also now being telecast in Thai in Thaiis exciting.

How was it to play such an epic role?
It was a challenging role. People in India are emotionally attached to the characters from our epics. Sita is no exception. And the main challenge was to essay the role in a manner that spoke well to the sensitivities of the audience. The audience’s reaction and tremendous response was therefore a very rewarding experience. It’s hard to comment how much I had to tap myself, but I certainly put in a fair bit of preparation especially with the languages. It was a lot of chaste Hindi. Infact, Saini ji, our writer, revealed to me after the shoot concluded that based on the audience’s reaction to my dialogues, he made my dialogues progressively more difficult for our audience and fans loved it! He also graciously said that it was the best work of his career. That was a big pleasant surprise and a huge compliment!

You’ve done a couple of films down South. How different or challenging Tollywood is from Indian television?
Technicalities aside, movies happen in bursts and you can take a significant break now and then. TV is quite demanding that way and the schedules can get rather hectic. Since emotions can be conveyed and are understood the same say, regardless of the language, it is similar in that respect. You can also respond to your audience’s reactions on TV, so that way the medium is a lot more dynamic. I think, eventually, both mediums help us to reach our audience.

How different is the stardom you enjoyed on the small screen compared to being a movie star?
The stardom is not that different, but I think when you are on TV, your fans can access you without too much difficulty and we get to meet them a bit more often this way. I enjoy the attention and adulation as much as I enjoy my work, and I don’t think it has changed me in any fundamental way. I love meeting with fans and admirers of my work, who make it all happen as our audiences.

How did the passion for acting begin?
It really happened by accident. It wasn’t exactly something I was planning for. But I always loved the camera! I had been doing jewelry and ethnic wear ad shoots for fun alongside my full time work as an interior designer in the commercial and hospital sector in Hyderabad. That’s when offers for acting began to pour in.

How did ‘Jaat Ki Jugni’ happen?
I had just wrapped up ‘Siya Ke Ram’ and was fielding a lot of calls from Mumbai for new shows. Rashmi ji’s team called me to meet them in Mumbai. And the rest followed very quickly after I accepted it.

Share something about your character and the show?
Munni, my character, has three protective brothers and she has grown up with a lot of love and attention from them. They treat her as they might treat a daughter. Boys keep a safe distance thanks to her brothers! So the premise really is how will Munni and Bittu, the hero meet?

Were you skeptical of taking up this show?
No. They were very keen to work with me and this character appealed to me. Plus ‘Siya Ke Ram’ was mounted on a very grand and lavish scale and while I thoroughly enjoyed myself as well as learnt a lot, this is a different kind of character and I instantly took to it.

There is a transition from the role of Sita to Munni. What kind of homework did you do for your role as Munni?
We went to Sangrur (near Patiala, Punjab) for the first 15 days or so of the shoot. I made it a habit to closely observe the environs and study the language in those surroundings. It is a Haryanvi setting and I love the way my brothers and Bittu (Vishal’s character in the show) speak! The rest, of course, is my interpretation. Pavanji, our director, also gives us inputs from time to time, which I blend with my own interpretation of the character and what you see on screen is a result of all that.

How is it working with Rashmi Sharma Productions and Vishal?
Rashmi ji runs the whole place very professionally and so that takes care of a lot of things. It’s a lot of fun working with Vishal and going by the responses, people have loved the pairing. So we are genuinely excited.