"I have memories of a lifetime"

"I consider myself blessed to play the character of Draupadi", says actress Pooja Sharma who plays the role of Draupadi the Mahabharat serial

The tall and lissome Pooja Sharma made a mark in the Mahabharat serial (produced by Swastik Productions currently being telecast on Starplus) as Draupadi playing with poise, elegance, grace and dexterity. A model before stepping into acting Pooja then donned another mythological role of Mahakali/Parvati in the serial Mahakali Anth hi Aarambh hai – another Swastik Productions. She has also done voice-overs in mythological/historical serials like RamSiya ke Luv Kush, Radhakrishn and Porus. The talented Pooja talks about working in both mythologicals playing gutsy roles with confidence and displaying an indomitable spirit.

How do you feel as Mahabharat is being telecast the second time on TV after seven years?

I am ecstatic. It is an amazing feeling as it was something over and done with seven years ago. It was well received in its first innings also. It is good to know it has come back and in round two it is getting so much more love and appreciation from people of all age groups. It is extremely heart-warming and I have had first-hand experience as I see my own family and extended family members truly interested in watching this show. It is being telecast again the second time. It is a good thing because the audience loves this show. I have a young person in the family, barely 20 and she said I am looking forward to watching this show again. She is watching on hotstar and the telecast on Starplus again. Young people can access so much content on the streaming platforms. For the younger generation to be taking this kind of interest is extremely heart-warming. The response has been exhilarating.

What do you think of the evergreen appeal of the Mahabharat or the Ramayan?

Because most of our mythological stories whenever they were made, whenever they were read, whenever they were passed on to us they were not given to us just as stories, there was always a message behind them, some learning to extract to imbibe from them. Culturally speaking, we Indians are deeply rooted in our mythology. In today's generation if I am a parent I would also think the children are watching a show like this in this age when they have options to watch any show and other things which are so diverse. When they watch something like this there is a huge takeaway. I have heard my own cousins telling me about their kids – their 17 and 18 year olds getting so excited about the learning that is coming through. Like Krishna explaining to every character why they died in the Kurukshetra war or what is the motivation behind Bheeshma Pitamah's character. There is an ability to take a lot of learning. And that learning doesn't stop. I think that's what keeps these characters, these stories evergreen because you are always going back to them and learning something or the other. In the times that we are living a lot of us have gone back to who we are, gone a little inside as we cannot go outside. We are all kind of born within in our own capacities. I think hence this interest.

Also, the epics are ingrained in our cultural fabric. Do you think telling the epics in a visual medium has more appeal as the youngsters have enough to watch. It's engaging and engrossing them.

Yes, care was also taken by the makers. They were aiming it primarily for the younger generation. It was kind of understood that the older generation would gravitate towards shows like these on their own, the younger audience were the conscious choice. It is shot like that. The characters are kept as close and as real to life as possible. I think that is what engages the younger generation also.

One read Amar Chitra Kathas as children besides stories on mythology told by our grandparents. Today reading has a habit has come down. So do you think when something like this when told in a visual format has more takers?

Absolutely, it's less hard work. We are obviously very visual people. Human beings, per se, are visual. Amongst all our senses the eyes are used a lot more. Anything presented in an entertaining format and anybody and everybody has access to it. Anyone can watch it and enjoy it. The barrier of one being one interested in reading and having the ability to read even more than the inclination dissipates with something being in the visual format. Everybody has access to it.

How did you get the role of Draupadi and what was your reaction? You were probably the last actor to join the show?

Yes. That's right. I came in pretty much towards the end. I got selected in August and we were going on air in September. So this was a very quick process for me. I literally got an audition call out of the blue one fine day. I tried procrastinating. I said will come tomorrow. I was told that it was the last day and asked to come for audition. So I landed up for the audition and it was an easy one. Normally you prepare for an audition, you go from home dressed in a certain look with hair, make-up. Here you could go wearing jeans and T-shirt. They gave the costume, hair and did the make-up. Once one was in the attire that feeling was amazing. Now that I have done mythological shows I am used to it now. But being a girl of today one was not used to wearing that kind of jewellery, with hair up and make-up like that. Seeing yourself like that was a nice feeling. And over the next 2-3 days I got signed on and that's how quick it was.

How did you feel when you were signed on? You were doing a character which is so integral to the epic?

I was happy as it was my debut show. And, for the trust placed in me for a character like Draupadi! It happened quickly and one got engaged in the show. Of course I was happy but the enormity of my debut show hits me now every day. And with the love coming too all of us in round 2!

It must be overwhelming...

Yes, it is at some level. The love and the reaction are overwhelming some times. One feels really blessed that it happened to you.

Did you prepare for this by doing any kind of homework or did you just go by what the director said on the sets?

Honestly what happened to me was option two though I would have appreciated option one. Swastik, as a great production house, placed a lot of emphasis on training and planning and they left no stone unturned. If they had to help you with the character they would do so. It happened for the other characters. Since I was the last to join I didn't get all the preparation time and I had to take everything by the year. I learnt everything on the job. I had done some work; I had been an anchor, a host and done some advertisements. But shooting a show with these kinds of emotions was completely different. I learnt everything on the sets. Thankfully it was a very supportive environment so it all came together.

Draupadi is an integral character and a powerful one. How challenging was it to portray her? You got into the skin of the character.

It was a breeze to portray the character and for that the credit goes entirely to the writers and makers of the show. I didn't know the rules of the game, I didn't understand what is to be done, how it is to be done. But everything was so beautifully provided to us on paper and beyond that our job was very simple. It is a powerful and challenging character. Most people expect me to give them long theories on how difficult it was and how I had to do things. But in all honesty I feel happy that the character was so beautifully etched out on paper and with the support system, the costumes, the sets, the co-actors, everything fell in place so beautifully that it was a breeze.

Carrying those costumes and the loads of jewellery must have been stifling...

That was the most challenging part. To be continuously draped in those long drapes with ultra long trails (two-metres three metres long) I had on every day. I had to walk around holding it every day along with the jewellery and the hair. It would take a while to get ready. The process of getting ready would not end for me. For other characters also there was constant removal of jewellery, wearing of the jewellery, the mukut (crown). Boys could do it whereas most of the girls could not. Every piece of jewellery is attached to every dupatta or corner. A girl could not be dropping off the jewellery as the boys could. I would be wearing the whole thing every day for long hours. That was a little challenging I had to admit.

How long would you take to get ready – at least 2-3 hours?

Yes, easily. We would start with the hair first, where the base of the hair would be done. Then the make-up would be done, then I would wear the outfit after which the fixing of the hair would start and then the jewellery. You had to follow this pattern.

The costume and the jewellery are the highlights of the period dramas...

It would be unfair to be complaining as that one part is what the audience enjoys. It really enhances the look of the show. It helps us to portray our characters better because once you are looking the part and the audience is absolutely mesmerised. The production house worked heavily and hard on the look. To maintain these looks every actor had to go through that struggle but it was worth it.

The vastraharan episode must have been traumatic to portray it. How did you enact it out? Did it leave any imprint on your mind and were you really able to get out of it?

Actually to be honest again yes the normal thing to say would be I was deeply impacted and all of that. The different layers of my answer would be one it was not difficult portraying this character because of the writing, the way the scene came to me when I read it there was not a single weak moment for Draupadi's character. This is a deplorable moment in the life of this woman, extremely deplorable act committed right in front of her kith and kin. There is still not a weak moment. One interpretation of the vastraharan would be she would be holding onto her pallu struggling and saying no. The way it was presented here was completely different. She comes there, she glances at everyone, questions morality, questions them and she questions authority. She walks out, stops with the questioning and then comes back. She walks back to the pedestal and tells Dushshasana – aao apni shakti ka pareekshan karalo (come, test your strength). The way the character was written was so beautiful that it was easy to portray and getting into the emotion is an actor's job. You do feel the emotion but to shrug it off is important and better if one does that. I was able to do that in all honesty.

Sometimes actors say it is difficult to shed off certain characters, while certain can be easily shed off. Was this one of those which could be easily shed off or did it stay with you for some time?

I have never had that problem. Even in another show Mahakali I did not have that problem. I feel it is important to be true to the moment while you are in it and it is equally important to break off it. You cannot at any point of time forget that you are Pooja Sharma, the human being. You cannot allow something like this to be impacting you so negatively.

Were you happy portraying Draupadi? Though she is an integral character she is not like Sita or Savitri or somebody who is venerated. She is a powerful woman who questions authority and that kind of questioning was never there for women at least in the past. Was this character close to your heart?

Till date I consider myself blessed I got to play the character of Draupadi. As a girl standing there enacting the whole thing out I felt so empowered because of the vision of the writers and the makers – how they had interpreted Draupadi's character. How in the cheer haran sequence when all the boys' vastra and jewellery come off. That was a spur of the moment decision. That was not written in the narrative. It was a decision taken by the male actors out there who said how fair is it? What was written was the upvastra (the top cloth) comes off. I remember Bhishma pitamah's (the actor who played) said the jewellery is still on us and not looking naked as we are trying to force this woman to be. So this is what should be done. I was feeling so empowered in the cheer haran sequence that at no point it made me feel weak, it made me empowered. Likewise, also playing this character of Draupadi! I gather from the response I get today from the girls and even the boys of today they have started understanding Draupadi as a beacon of feminism, of rights, perhaps even human rights at some level. They hail the character of Draupadi as opposed to how it has been otherwise. She was looked upon as the cause. At some level I think our Mahabharat has been able to think of the young generation change that opinion. The kind of response I get from people is extremely heart-warming. The boys tell me we sat there, we watched it, my blood was boiling, I wanted to shed a tear but couldn't because my mom was watching, I felt so bad. Even the girls say we feel extremely empowered watching Draupadi's character! I feel blessed.

When we see it now she was a person (who lived 5000 years before) who was so brave and daring to question authority. She took up the cause on her own when there was nobody to help her.

Absolutely. That's what I feel. When nobody stood up for her she stood up for herself. She was her own hero. War and everything happens later and In hindsight everyone realises we are going to avenge you – whether it is for revenge or for justice it is open to interpretation. But at the crucial moment she stood up for herself. She didn't abandon herself. She had some power to question and asked meaningful questions. She is a hero.

That fire in her never subsided.

Absolutely.

On the whole how was the whole experience of doing the Mahabharat?

It was fabulous. Everything was amazing, beautiful and splendid. It was my first show and firsts are always important. To be a part of a narrative as beautiful as that, a team as supportive and beautiful as that! I have memories of a lifetime. And with the audience response continues what dawns on me is how blessed are you to be able to be a part of a show like this. There has been never a bigger narrative than Mahabharat in our culture. To be able to portray this character and the response it got was a superlative experience.

What would you say would be the takeaway from doing this?

For us in the Gita gyan there is so much to gather from. One can always go back to it and learn so much. The fact that Draupadi was her own hero is what keeps coming back. People are always depending on situations, other people, this one and that one. The lesson of life is that you are your biggest support system. You have to be your hero. This is what Draupadi's character teaches you and which will be my biggest takeaway. Be there for yourself. Most importantly when life is down and out it is very important to be there for yourself.

How was it acting with the whole cast?

It was a fabulous team. People came from all walks of life. Experienced actors and inexperienced actors like me. There was a wrestler (who played Bhima) who came from a sporting background with absolutely no experience in acting. There were other people who were models earlier. There were senior actors and there were 17-year-olds playing characters. It was an eclectic mix of people and all of us bonded really well. We had fond memories of post pack-up fun that we would have on the terrace. We would chill and talk and eat. There was a lot of humour. Like I told you before there were memories for life, very fond ones.

You also acted as Durga and Kali in the serial Mahakali anth hi aarambh hai which was another powerful role. Since you had already done a mythological role you would have probably got into this faster. How did you work on this?

On July 22 it was three years of Mahakali. This was Siddharth Sir's (Siddharth Kumar Tewary, creative producer and writer) vision. He saw me as this character way before I could see myself. I was extremely jittery and uncommitted to playing the character but he insisted and convinced me into doing it. It was the most challenging piece of work I have done in terms of the costume, the paint, the wig and all of that. If Draupadi was difficult Mahakali and the entire show was a million times more difficult. Actually when I think of it Mahakali runs down my spine. It was the most difficult piece of work I have done in my life. It was a well-written show again. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the character. Mahakali was the goddess everyone reveres. There is a lot of devotion for the character. My heart lays in Parvati's story as the story really tells how Parvati turns into Mahakali. I got to do everything from action, being on the harness, beating up. When you play a goddess it's all about playing coy, here I was doing action, I was dancing, everything possible. There was a gamut of things an actor can do. I managed to have a taste of all that – action romance, crime, emotion, drama.

You shot both these serials in Umargaon. So you lived there for that many months the serials were shot. How was it staying away in a different place?

It's got its pros and cons. The pros are you can concentrate on your work unlike in Mumbai where there is family, there are events. When you are in Umergaon you are committed to what you are doing. For the shows like Mahakali and Mahabharat there is a more level of focus required. One is very well taken care of there. You have friends, all your co-actors become your support system, you have fun there, there is a beautiful beach there, you are by the sea – these are the little pleasures of life. It's a town and little removed from life in Bombay. There is a certain level of simplicity there. Everyone bonds.

What interests you about Indian mythology and history?

What interests me more is Indian mythology. We don't delve into history for nothing or just to get facts. The fact there is a spiritual resonance to everything, there is a takeaway from everything. This happened because of that. There are so many versions; there are so many ways of understanding the Mahabharat. The other day I was having this thought. People think Mahabharat is a battle of revenge. It remains for you to see whether it remains a battle of revenge or a battle of justice. Your perspective can also evolve. This is something a fan wrote on my comments. I thought it was a thought-provoking idea. Lot of people thought it was about revenge. It's about justice and that's what changes our motivation. There are so many of these deep layers in the stories. That's what I enjoy at whatever level I understand and comprehend.

You have also done voice over for some shows like Porus and other shows...

Yes. I have done for Porus, Radhakrishn, Ram Siya ke LuvKush.

How do you find doing voice over?

When we started with Mahabharat at one point Siddharth Sir stopped me and told me in certain scenes that Draupadi is not a 16-year-old college girl, Draupadi is not a DDLJ's (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) Kajol, Draupadi is a woman who has to fight. I need depth in her character; I need depth in her voice. Not that there was any problem in my voice, he wanted me to bring out the best. So I feel from being at a point where he had to give me some advice on my voice to choosing me to give voice over for Porus (his magnum opus) which opens with my voice and ends with my voice is an achievement. More so coming from Siddharth Sir, who I consider a mentor, a guru to be able to trust me with something like that! I feel with his feedback or through your own learning one has grown at some level for them to choose you as voice of so many characters in that show. I consider that as a small person's little achievement.

What are your other interests besides acting?

I enjoy reading. It used to be a lot of fiction before and now it is non-fiction.

So you are into reading and acting?

Yes. I am also into dancing

What are your future plans now?

As of now to keep alive so that one can pursue all of one's passions and have all our dreams come through. In this situation health is a priority. It's important to be safe. I hope I get good opportunities to play important characters that engage me and the audience. That's what I keep as my goal. How it manifests, how it comes about is for us to see.

Do you have a philosophical approach to life or anything you go by?

I don't know if I have one particular philosophy of life but I delve into a lot of philosophy. That search within me is always there. Currently I am deeply interested in Ayurveda. One has that time in life to be regulating our sleep cycles and all of that. I am kind of reading and engaging with Vedanta right now.

When you say Ayurveda are you trying to read about it or practice it?

Everything. I am associated with an Ayurvedic practitioner. She helps me. I am also reading about it. It's just opening my eyes to how magnanimous the body is, how magnanimous the understanding of the human body was thousands of years ago – Things like that modern science is waking up to now. Ayurveda is connected with things Vedanta talks about. It is an all encompassing philosophy.

So are you reading books about Vedanta in translation or in original?

I am actually listening to discourses right now. I haven't really started reading. I do have the copy of the Bhagavad Gita. I am reading it and started understanding the basic concepts of it.