I am not a prude when it comes to doing intimate and explicit scenes, but the script should call for it - Richa meena

RICHA MEENA

“I am not a prude when it comes to doing intimate and explicit scenes, but the script should call for it”

Pretty and sizzling RICHA MEENA, who plays the lead in the film Kasaai which is now being streamed on the OTT platform ShemarooMe Box Office, tells JYOTHI VENKATESH in an exclusive, special and uninhibited free and frank no holds barred interview for bollyy.com and Mayapuri that virginity is an extremely subjective and private matter, while sex is something every individual experiences, hopefully with the right person, at the right time, and even if it isn’t perfect, one grows from learning.

Is Kasaai your debut film as an actress?

No. Running Shaadi with Amit Sadh and Taapsi Pannu was my first. It was followed by Pan Nalin’s The Last Film Show, Teen Muhurat directed by Deyali Mukherjee, Mardaani 2, Ashim Ahluwalia’s Daddy in which I played the role of Arun Gawli’s daughter Geeta Gawli, Shine Krishna’s Tamil film Vella Panni and now Gajendra. S. Shrotriyaa’s Kasaai is my seventh film. Besides these three films, I have also acted in a documentary called The Secrets of Taj Mahal where I played the role of Mumtaz Mahal and two short films called Ghumantu- The Wanderer, which was titled Like a Stray Dog earlier and Prashant Ingole’s Budh The Awakening.

How easy or tough was it for you to play the role of Mishri in Kasaai?

I basically hail from Jaipur. The script of Kasaai was so brilliantly written that I had to just listen to my director to translate the vision of the writer, incidentally in whose house itself we were shooting for the film. For the record, I play a gaon ki bholi bhali gori called Mishri in Kasaai

Were you intimidated when you had to perform in front of performers like Mita Vashisht, Ashok Banthia and Ravi Jhankal in Kasaai?

If you know your craft and are confident and also willing to learn, and are also focussed on what you are exactly doing and do not let your attention be diverted on the sets by others, there is no way that you may get intimidated when you work in front of seasoned performers. I was happy when I was told that I will be sharing frame with an actor of the calibre of Mita Vashisht who has already acted with stalwarts like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil

What is your view on fame?

I’d like to think I haven’t achieved fame as yet, as that gives me the liberty to be a free bird. I think fame should come through the right source, for me it is a by product and not something I pay direct attention to. I pay attention to doing amazing work instead. Kasaai, for example, has finally been given its due on a platform as powerful as ShemarooMe Box Office and will be watched by millions now, so the universe does reward hard work.

Isn’t it very tough for an aspiring single girl like you to survive in Mumbai?

In Mumbai, if people are determined and clear about what they want to do, the city welcomes you with open hands. You just need to know what you want to do. I wouldn’t be the same person I am today had I been in another city. Mumbai teaches you to live your dreams and give not just your 100% but on the contrary your 200% to seek those dreams.

Times are changing, and a lot of web series have bold scenes. Are you ready to go there as an actor?

I have been to auditions where I am asked if I am comfortable doing explicit scenes even before knowing the story or the director. I find that absurd. I am not a prude when it comes to doing such intimate and explicit scenes, but the script should call for it and it should be a safe environment. I had taken part in an intimate scene in Kasaai too, and done lip to lip kiss too. In fact, we even had shot that scene twice since the first attempt looked half baked, and as my co-star and I got more comfortable, the final result got better.

Which are the filmmakers you look forward to working with?

Terrence Malick is someone I want to work with. I’ve also been lucky to work with someone as great as Pan Nalin at such an early stage in my career in my life in his film The Last Film Show. I also remember watching Life of Pi and craving to be a part of that movie. I also admire Anurag Kashyap’s filmography. If only the late Satyajit Ray was alive, I would have done anything to be Satyajit Ray’s heroine. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is also someone I am very fascinated by. He is a well known name out here as well as the West.

You play the catalyst Misri in Kasaai who shapes the change of events in the film Kasaai. How was it playing Misri in the film?

I always look at characters before any other factor, as an actor I do films because I get to live like another person and tell their story. Had Misri not been in my life, I would have missed on some important experiences and discoveries I made while playing her.

As a modern woman, what do you feel about virginity and pre marital sex?

I am nobody to comment on virginity in general since it is an extremely subjective and private matter. Sex is something every individual experiences, hopefully with the right person, at the right time, and even if it isn’t perfect, one grows from learning. I grew up in a humble environment in Jaipur so my world view is very innocent. The so called “pre marital” sex is about two souls committing to themselves to each other privately but marriage is about committing yourself even to a stranger sometimes, in front of thousands of people. Marriage is like a formal event and nothing more than that. Everyone should be given the right and freedom to live their life the way they wish to.

Do you believe in the institution of marriage?

What exactly is marriage? Yes I do believe in the Institution of marriage as such,, but there should also be love in a marriage. For example, some arranged marriages are just, like the name suggests, “arrangements”. Those are things I don’t desire. We should adapt with the times and open up our mind.

Which are the actors you admire?

I have always wanted to work with Irrfan Khan but as luck would have it he is no longer with us. Then there is Vikrant Massey. Madhuri Dixit is my biggest acting school so she is a hot favourite of mine too. And who wouldn’t love to work with Amitabh Bachchan? I also admire Randeep Hooda a lot.

Right now, are you a part of any web series as an actor?

I did audition for a few but nothing has worked out till now, I am sure I am destined for a legendary web series. To be brutally honest, I am also still in awe of the big screen and cinema and the art of telling a story in two hours. I am ready to go all out and go crazy on screen if it is for a film, not a web series or for that matter a TV serial.

Is this your first official interview?

Yes, it is, I have answered a few questions during film festivals but this is my very first interview in life.