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Strings of hope

As Maya in "Strings - Bound by Faith", Sandhya Mridul reminds audiences that she would never be seen in repetitive roles

PHOTO: D. GOPALAKRISHNAN

UPBEAT Sandhya Mridul has made her name among the naturally gifted actresses in the film industry

At first look, Sandhya Mridul reminds us of the good old Sandhya, the impeccable dancer, accomplished actress and wife of filmmaker V. Shantaram. This Sandhya too is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, a trait that the film industry doesn't seem to know about. Despite doing a few mainstream films and hitting a high note with Saathiya, Sandhya has made her name among the naturally gifted actresses in the film industry thanks to the character-oriented roles she played from Waisa Bhi Hota Hai to Page 3. Adding to this list of `different' films is Strings - Bound by Faith directed by Sanjay Jha. She plays Maya in the film, who is an e-mail friend of Adam Bedi, the central character.

On the move

Like her name, Maya is, as Sandhya defines, a restless soul who keeps on moving in and out of things. "She moves away from a foreign country to find a job in Mumbai, from Mumbai she moves on to Nasik to see the Kumbh mela, she is an escapist when it comes to religion and so on. It is a journey of religious beliefs and understanding between me, Adam and Tanishta Chatterjee (the lead character opposite Adam)."

She may not be the central character in the film but Sandhya isn't deterred. "I did the film because it was Sanjay Jha's film with an intelligent script. And the way he has shot the film at actual locations in the Kumbh mela, I don't think anybody could have pulled it up that way.

Sandhya earlier earned a few brownie points for her appearance in Extraaa Innings. The mention brings a chuckle to her voice. "I really worked hard for that. I watched every cricket match I was supposed to talk about. I met endless cricketers to know the finer details of the game and made lots of notes. If I didn't know anything, I asked my interviewee without feigning to be knowledgeable. For example, a cricketer used the phrase `Point System' that I didn't know. I told him frankly that I wished to be educated about that while the programme was on air. I believe one must accept the faults one has, to escape a greater embarrassment."

`Belief' is a key word with Sandhya. And this `belief' in herself made her sign films like 13th Floor. 13th floor is an interesting story of two people stuck in the 13th floor of a lift. How they share their thoughts and life experiences with each other and how life is being interpreted in new way, is what the film is about. It was released recently only in Mumbai's select cinema halls.

Sandhya's desire to show her dancing skills is also being fulfilled to an extent as she plays a bar dancer in her forthcoming film Chowki. Apart from Honey Moon Travels Private Limited, she also has in her bag what she dubs as the "toughest character" she has ever played, in Deadline by Tanvir Khan. "It is a thriller in which Irrfan Khan has been cast opposite me. It is about a deadline a couple gives to another couple played by Konkona Sen and Rajit Kapoor. My character that oscillates between black, grey and white is the toughest of all the roles I have done so far. It was extremely demanding," she recalls.

RANA SIDDIQUI

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