Actors Shahana Goswami and Barun Sobti, co-actors in a film that discusses Mumbai's lack of public space, say they are not Bollywood material
I don't want to do Bollywood," Rock On actress Shahana Goswami says emphatically. Her smile reflects the happiness behind her decision. "Once you make up your mind about what kind of movies you want to do, what work interests you, you are going to find it hard to bag work you like anyway," pipes in actor Barun Sobti, 30, who got famous as Arnav Raizada in the romantic television show, Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon.
We meet at a Bandra café right before the two take off to London. Goswami is in Mumbai to shoot a bit role in Rock On!! 2, before watching how the audience receives their indie film Tu Hai Mera Sunday at the BFI London Film Festival. In it, Sobti plays a football lover struggling to find space to kick ball every weekend. Goswami's character is the daughter of an old man who becomes a part of this bunch inadvertently.
After London, Mumbai will get to watch it at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Over coffee, the talk centres around why it's significant to take on a tiny indie film that discusses the lack of public spaces in Mumbai over a mega- commercial movie. "It's not about people, this movie; it's about Mumbai. There is this amazing scene where two kids play badminton using a parked car as net. Milind (Dhaimade, the director) has portrayed the city's everyday life so beautifully. That we can discuss this through our movie makes it great."
For the actress, who now lives in Paris as "life is better there", the charm of independent cinema lies in that an actor can be himself, and not change anything. "When we started prepping [for Tu Hai…], we thought, let's go to the gym, let's groom ourselves. But Milind said, 'don't you dare! I have cast you for who you are, the personalities you are'. So, in the movie, I talk exactly the way I, Shahana does. I talk in Hindi, I talk in English," she shares, gesturing to Sobti, "I was surprised when he cast this one, though! Popular TV star! Kyun, bhai?" Sobti is unperturbed. "Of course, they must have thought I can't act. I haven't done any work in a while. So, this movie is important for me. I'm certain people will read this and think, oh! Isko kaam nahin mila…" he laughs, hinting at the way indie cinema actors are perceived.
Goswami says she is trying to build a career in Paris. "If I need to do that, I can't keep coming back. I need to be there, available for work. So unless a movie like this crops up, I am pretty much out of the mainstream." Sobti, on the other hand, is prepping for another TV show, one that he insists isn't "that mainstream". But it is a romantic one.
"Of course, he will always be the romantic hero," Goswami takes a jibe. Curious about the web format, he hopes he can cultivate a standing there because it may allow him space to be more than the typical romantic. "I don't want to limit myself. I can do web, movies and TV. We, as makers, have to find a way to deliver smart stuff to the audience. If they get used to quality content, they will crave it. That's our responsibility, isn't it?"
