If you think you have seen Sai Deodhar aka Monika - the young, charming and intelligent pilot from Saara Akaash - before, you are not too far off mark. The offspring of cinematographer Debu Deodhar and director Shrabani Deodhar, this Taurean has virtually grown up in the film industry and has been facing the camera since she was three. Acting has been an aspiration ever since. But, whether TV or films, only meaningful roles please! Sai doesn't want to associate with skimpy outfits and sexy scenes. She tells Vickey Lalwani why: |
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Was yours a planned foray into television acting? I have grown up in a filmi environment. So naturally, I felt the urge to act. In fact, I have done a few TV serials in my childhood - Kachchi Dhoop, when I was barely three years old, Mrignaynee and even films like - Prahaar, Chudiyan, Daayra and my mother's first Marathi film. Then came Shanti, which incidentally was my last appearance before I settled for a break. |
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Break? |
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But you never put your acting dream on the backburner? I acted in Sai Paranjpe's Marathi play starring Vikram Gokhale. That was a great learning experience after which I formally got trained in acting from Kishore Namit Kapoor classes, and also learnt kathak and jazz. May I add that my earlier stint helped me loosen up before the camera. |
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Were these classes and the childhood experience enough? The best part of the character is that I play a girl who has her own views and identity. This is true for all girls today, including myself. Besides, I am completely a director's actress. Often, I ask the director to explain the graph of my character. |
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Scripts are written one day before, lines are written one hour before. Does a director know what turn the story is going to take next week? |
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How did 'Saara Akaash' happen? |
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But the serial did not start off on schedule? |
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Go on... |
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It must have been quite an experience to interact with pilots? |
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Do you remember your screen test? Certainly. They gave me a few lines to recite. Believe it or not, I completely improvised on what was given to me and said it in my style. And they liked it! Guess they equated it to the confidence that was so very essential to the tomboyish character of Monika. |
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The show also underwent a lot of changes in the script, didn't it? |
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But did you approve of the fact that the original concept underwent a dramatic transformation? |
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Did you reshoot some stuff? We did, but without diluting the essence. |
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So what is the viewer left with? Everything is the same, isn't it? |
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Frankly speaking, 'Saara Akaash' has not been able to maintain the high viewership it enjoyed in its very first episode. Ironically, these movies do not necessarily affect the post-10 pm serials. The people watch the first hour of every new movie, which coincides with the hour of Saara Akaash telecast. Since only a few movies are good, these people then return to serials. |
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You love Shakti Anand in the serial, but he concentrates only on Sonal Sehgal. Do you identify with such a situation in real life? (Laughs) Not so long ago, I completed my BA. Presently I am doing my MA by correspondence. So I am still a student and in touch with lots of youngsters attending college. These things are quite common in these times in every college. |
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Is there a planned end to 'Saara Akaash'? |
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You have worked in films as well as serials, though films happened at a very young age? Still, could we know from you if you felt any difference between the two mediums? Say, if a director took a long shot instead of a close one and realised his mistake even after the whole episode had been shot, yet he can recover in the next episode because similar backdrops and scenes often happen on small screen. Besides, the film can be reused. In films, the director has no chance to rectify his mistakes. This is because of three reasons - budget constraints, stars are too busy to give common dates and the film cannot be reused. |
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You look pretty fit to become a heroine. Is that going to happen soon? |
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Your next TV serial? |
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