Popularly known for her character in Page 3, Sandhya Mridul is all set to once again woo us all with her upcoming Zee5 series, Taj: Divided by Blood, which will premiere on March 3. Ahead of its release, the actress in an exclusive chat with The Pioneer shares some interesting tidbits about the show.
Shikha Duggal
Nothing is easy in this world but Sandhya Mridul is all of positivity, grace, and gratitude, as she talks to us exclusively on a video call. Ahead of the release of her upcoming Zee5 series, the lady reveals all about how she’s a fan of opulence, when it comes to trying out new genres! For the first time ever, the Bollywood actress is part of a larger-than-life, big, grand, and huge series titled Taj: Divided by Blood. And with this massive show that already had the biggest logo reveal in the town, everyone is only discussing the grandeur style of storytelling. How could we miss out on the mini details?
“When media values my work — it makes me homier and this is what makes me continue to work for this cinema,” says Sandhya.
Amusingly, having a particularly maddening day since the actress was down with cold — yet she was very enthusiastic while telling us about visual aesthetics, culture, an extravagant set and so much more. “The only person I was considering as an emperor throughout the show was only Naseeruddin Shah ( she laughed ).
Beyond a point, all of us forgot that we are doing a historical show. More than exposing the viewers to an ancient time, Taj is more focused on the human nature of the Mughals. Despite the practice of polygamy back then, the families were still intact! I dealt with it so humanly, I was exploring the relationship with Akbar and the queens more intricately. And then, who is Jodhaa? The clothes did really make me feel regal and royal.”
But the actress exclaimed there is a catch: “Initially it becomes about an actor, how is she going to shine and as time passes by — the same talent only thinks of making the whole series a blockbuster hit. It took days for us to complete the shoot, we want our hard work to emerge from the best roots. For once, it wasn’t just the women: even the men were struggling with their heavy costumes and ornaments. It was a mammoth effort, the series started to take a toll on the assistants and crew as well. I will not leave any chance to establish an impact as Jodhaa, in consequence.”
While the poster looks magnificent, let’s recall some more remembrance from the sets of Taj with Sandhya Mridul. “This was the hardest time I had on the sets, hopefully for the good. It’s an enormous show. In such tough weather conditions, with fourteen kilos of a lehenga, I was performing in the heat. I have never done this before because I am the most underrated actress in the industry. And since she’s the most vital queen of Akbar, I had to be the best dressed.” How were they capturing some more hearts, she addressed, “If we’re talking about kingdoms, we were bound to show pomp and grandeur to the max.
It’s a fictional show, we couldn’t have shown kings and queens sitting in a flat of Versova (she bursts into laughter). Cinematic liberty is a thing!”
She continued, “I may not be dressed as the last Jodhaa but my director used his full imagination to make me look powerful. The team was playing with degrees of splendor. I am trying to make a niche space for myself. I have “no” to a lot of projects in my career, because I wasn’t despairing to do everything and anything in the industry. My character in Page 3 became so popular but I didn’t bother repeating the role.
I am glad, stayed in an ideal position as an actress. And, how could have I turned down Taj when Naseeruddin Shah is playing a pivotal role in it? It’s not easy to be metier, you run out of work. I fought this stereotyping, not in favour of repeating roles. Thank you OTT!”
All set to charm us with her ethereal beauty, Sandhya Mridul wants to swoon the audiences presently. For example, she thinks, “Zarina Wahab was the most endearing woman to work with on the sets of Taj. I remember working with her fifteen years ago, today she’s competing with us an arch-rival queen. The sweetness, her innocence that’s most talked about in our industry hasn’t gone anywhere until today.
She was the highlight of our show for me! No denying the fact though, when Naseeruddin Shah walks on the sets — all eyes will be on him. His wisdom was the talk of the town and always is. There’s something I noticed about him: even if the whole crew is busy making a terrible noise, Naseer Ji cares a damn. His concentration power is so cool that nobody can distract him while he”s reading his favourite book in a corner in the middle of breaks.”
Lastly, a funny question poised at Sandhya led us to an unknown utterance about her which was, “I grew up with brothers who read a lot, I easily get taken in by people who read. It’s a fact, hated history. I am a mathematical graduate!
My brother used to persuade me so much to do history honours, and I was like “no chance”. I am intrigued to know about medieval times but don’t ask me to “learn” it. Not interested, peeps.”
