Exclusive - Vidya Balan on the praises for Sherni: ‘I was awake till 5 am responding to messages’

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Vidya Balan is basking in the glory of the tremendous response she’s receiving for her latest offering Sherni. It’s been barely two days since the release of the Amit Masurkar directorial on Amazon Prime Video and she’s been flooded with calls and messages. The film has managed to impress both the audience and the critics alike.

On a warm, breezy Saturday afternoon, an elated Vidya spoke to OTTplay about all things Sherni, how she relates to her character of Vidya Vincent, all the tough situations she faces in the film and more…

Excerpts from the interview:

Congratulations! Sherni has opened to fabulous reviews. How are you feeling?

Over the moon. I feel like I’m flying. Sherni isn’t your regular run-of-the-mill film. Even though I was hoping that people (will) like it, I’m stunned, in a very nice way, by the reactions we’ve been receiving. I was awake till 5 am responding to messages.

Vidya Vincent is a character with a lot of thehraav, is that what attracted you to the role?

There’s never one thing, but if I have to pick something then it would be the fact that it is the story about a jungle. It’s about the real jungle and the jungle called life for us humans. That attracted me most to the story. Amit Masurkar is the only person who could’ve told the story because he observes things that other people don’t. He’s got the touch of finding humour in absurdity. Just picking this subject in the first place, it’s so refreshing.

At several junctures in the movie, we see that your character is saying something important (like when you’re speaking to the thekedaar in your office or when Vijay Raaz asks you to speak on stage) and your boss (Brijendra Kala) interrupts you. Has anything like that ever happened to you in real life too?

Of course. I think it’s happened to all of us, has it not? As human beings, it’s our personality and as women, it happens doubly.

While a lot of us are finding our voices, it’s still very difficult. I also still find it difficult when someone interrupts me like that, to shoot back and ask them to hold their horses because I want to speak too. It’s tough to do that.

There is another scene in which you’re telling your husband that you don’t want to continue with your job and he asks you to just follow the routine, take your salary and come home, as it’s a recession-proof job. What do you think of it? What was the brief given to you?

The brief is in that scene. The fact that he’s not taking her job seriously. He sees it just as a way to earn money and doesn’t see how it is her first field opportunity in nine years. That is why she feels committed to do a good job.

People don’t realize that women aren’t just going to work to support their family, but it gives them meaning and purpose. That’s in the scene. I don’t think Amit had to give me any particular direction since it was already in the writing.

We see a lot of internalised emotions in Vidya in the film. While going by the trailer one may expect you to roar with your dialogues and rebel against the unfair practises, we see a subtle and restrained Vidya who rather roars with her actions, reserving her words for occasions where it’s absolutely necessary. There’s a lot that rides on you as an actor with nuances like these. Did you feel any sort of pressure to get it right?

The character was tough to play because she is someone who doesn’t react easily. Just to convey without reacting that much is always tough as an actor. I found that aspect tough.

As a person, I was comfortable since I relate to her. There are so many occasions when I wanted to say something and haven’t reacted, in life.

In another scene, your mother-in-law appreciates you for having a cat, saying that it would prepare you for having a child and you say that you don’t want to have one. This is something that almost every woman gets to hear. Do you think there will come a time when not having kids will be normalized for a woman in society?

Yes, absolutely. A lot of women are choosing not to have children today, while their family is finding it difficult to make sense of that. Finally, the women are holding their ground and going ahead with their decisions. The family definitely aren’t very comfortable with the idea of even having children late.

Initially the family pressurizes you and the sad part is that they only ask a woman and not men, as if the onus lies only on one person. I feel that we will come to a stage where people will respect that if a woman wants to have a child, then she will have it but otherwise, it is to each his/her own.

The film deals with a number of things like casual sexism, environment vs development, man-animal conflict etc. Was there ever a concern that the main theme of the film may get lost while dealing with so many subjects at once?

I think that’s a question you must ask Amit (Masurkar). As an actor, it is never a concern, but as a writer-director, I don’t know. Yes, we are dealing with so many things but the beauty is that he makes his point without anything getting lost and yet without undermining anything.

How was your experience while shooting with the villagers?

It was fabulous. Everyone is so used to facing the camera thanks to the cell phones that they weren’t intimidated by it. They were so carefree but wouldn’t forget their lines or cues. Of course, we had Romil and Tejas from the casting team who trained these non-actors in how not to look into the camera and how to deliver their lines. They made them comfortable because you can’t train them to become actors but just to be comfortable in a scene. Amit has a penchant for using real people and not over-directing them.

We also see some banter with your on-screen mother as you both talk in your native language, which is not very common in a mainstream commercial film. Generally, it is avoided to have a mass appeal of sorts. Whose idea was that?

I actually don’t remember, but it happened impromptu. It wasn’t in the script. With your mother, you would anyway slip into your mother tongue.

Tell us about the scene where you’re sitting on a cliff with your resignation. There’s so much going on in the quiet of that scene as tears roll down your eyes. What was going on in your mind?

So many things - all the efforts she (her character) put into saving the tigress - she almost feels disappointed, defeated, distraught, angry and betrayed.

How was it working with actors like Vijay Raaz and Ila Arun?

Oh, fabulous. Except (for) Shampa, whose work I hadn’t seen before, every other actor’s works I have watched and enjoyed. I just realized that they are so easy. This is my third film with Ila ji and it is great fun working with her. She’s constantly improvising because of her theatre background. She’ll never say the same lines in two takes. You have to be constantly alert with her, throughout. Vijay Raaz is so wonderful. Acting is like a second skin for him. Brijendra Kala ji is my favourite. He’s adorable.

Has any non-Hindi speaking person approached you to tell you how they felt about the film?

Not with Sherni, not yet. It’s happened in the past. I had travelled abroad quite a few times, that’s when it happened.

What after Sherni?

Suresh Triveni’s next, who had directed Tumhari Sulu. I’m doing his film next.