The Goddesses hold forth

Sandhya Mridul, Sarah-Jane Dias and Rajshri Deshpande. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Sandhya Mridul, Sarah-Jane Dias and Rajshri Deshpande discuss ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’

Goddess, bonding and fun are words the cast of Angry Indian Goddesses uses liberally during the conversation. How much of it is to promote the film, one wonders. As one listens in, it’s apparent that the unconventional method of making this film has had a strong impact on its actors.

Sarah-Jane Dias is upfront and says she didn’t know what role she would play in the film. “I got an email saying they were doing an actors’ retreat and should the retreat go well, they would make a film. I was excited since director Pan Nalin was on board. This is my ninth film and I was looking to challenge myself as an actor,” she says.

Sarah, along with the other members of the cast, was put through a workshop like none other. “We’d begin the day with breathing exercises and meditation and later were given scenarios to act out. We didn’t know why we were doing it; but we were being observed,” she says.

Dilip Shankar, the associate producer who was also the casting director and acting coach, gave the actors exercises that made them unlearn set methods of working. “We were asked to imagine that we are 16 and write a letter to our dad. That shook me up,” says Sandhya Mridul, who lost her father when she was 15. Back then, she had put up a brave front and stayed a strong support to her mother. “I didn’t address the loss to myself. Now, years later, I couldn’t write to my dad imagining I am 16. I pleaded with Dilip and said I can’t do it. I was in tears but he was persistent. The next morning, I woke up and wrote the letter. Then I called my mom and cried. This exercise changed my relationship with my mother,” she says.

These unconventional exercises, coupled with mock acting workshops, helped the team to shed their past baggage. “It just made us come up with believable performance,” reasons Sandhya.

As Sandhya looks at it, “The fact that Nalin wanted to make a film with seven women characters, independent ones at that, made me support him. Women characters are normally not given enough gravitas.”

Angry Indian Goddesses also features Anushka Manchanda, Rajshri Deshpande, Tannishta Chatterjee and Pavleen Gujral. The women here are as diverse as a fashion photographer, a CEO, a model-turned-actor, a maid and an activist. They meet in Goa, invited by Sarah’s character Frieda, for a holiday before her wedding. “When friends come together after years, they let their hair down and talk about everything in life. What happens when such characters meet has been kept real. Many a time, we didn’t know when they said action and cut. We kept talking,” says Rajshri. “There was no makeup person waiting on us. It was as though they dropped a camera amidst a group of women and recorded their conversation,” pitches in Sarah.

Sarah insists it’s not ‘an issue-based film’ and Sandhya explains, “There are good and not-so-good things that get explored when women from different strata and walks of life meet. I play Suranjana, a CEO with whom you can’t mess with.”

Angry Indian Goddesses has already done its rounds at film festivals internationally including Canada and Rome, before featuring in Mumbai International Film Festival. Leading up to the December 4 release, the team had a screening in the city hosted by Lakshmi Manchu.

The actors are eager to see how the box office will react. “I am excited but extremely nervous,” says Sarah. “We pulled it off at MAMI and showed actresses can fill the hall, so we are confident,” says Sandhya.