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Mumbai:
Actor Geeta Agrawal Sharma, who recently starred in popular films like 12th failure And Laapataa Ladiessays that although her screen presence was limited to supporting roles, it never went unnoticed.
From playing Madam Aulakh, a politician who runs a cocaine racket in Punjab in a crime thriller web series CAT, to Pushpa, a resilient mother in the ambitious drama film 12th failure who eventually takes charge of the house and farm, the actor gradually becomes a constant in projects across all genres and formats.
Geeta started her career with TV shows like Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai and made her film debut with the 2007 film Photo. Ten years later she starred in the comedy film Mubarakanin which she got a role OMG2.
“I did it Mubarakan in which I had worked with Pavan Malhotra, and he suggested my name to the director of OMG2 (Amit Rai), as he had seen my work before.
“So one role led to another. I had worked with Balwinder Singh Janjua, the writer of Mubarakan. He cast me in his directorial debut OTT series ‘CAT’ and later in his film, Tera Kya Hoga Delicious,” the 50-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.
If she played Yashoda, a conventional mother who comes of age in the heart-warming gem Laapataa LadiesShe also starred in the big action drama “Fighter” as Usha, a mother torn between her daughter, written by Deepika Padukone, and her husband (Ashutosh Rana).
“I had done a web series with director Siddharth Anand titled ‘Flesh’. He later offered me Fighter. It was a small but beautiful role. It’s rare that when you’re performing alongside a superstar, you’re visible in the same frame. It was gracious enough on the part of the director and editor to give me that presence,” she added.
There have been times when people have approached her for a film and said, “You are playing the role of a mother of ‘x’ actor,” a character assignment that confuses the actor, who comes from the theatre.
“I’m like, ‘What kind of offer is this?’ There has to be something substantial,” she added.
What has changed for the better is that her characters are no longer nameless.
“When I was doing ChhapaakMy character had no name but in the script she was called Rama, this is what a woman director (Meghna Gulzar) does. In ‘A Suitable Boy’ (by Mira Nair), my character’s name was not there intentionally, she was addressed as Mrs. Mahesh.
“In ’12th Fail’, I remember my character’s name, Pushpa, was written on my hand. When you have a name for your character, it gives you that confidence. In ‘All India Rank’, my character’s name is Manju. Now my characters have started getting his names. This is a big change that has happened,” said Geeta.
The Wardha-born actor said most of her directors like Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, Anand and Balwinder Singh Janjua want to work with her again.
Mehra worked with Geeta on “Delhi 6”, her second film. She was next cast in “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” and “Mirzya”. Janjua is working with the actor in the upcoming film “Sab First Class”.
“When I work with a director, they often repeat me. Luckily, I got to work with some great directors like Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, Mira Nair, Meghna Gulzar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Varun Grover. I don’t believe in luck, but I’m glad I got to be a part of great films. Regardless of whether the role was small or large, there was a good graph in it,” she said.
As her work stands out in various films, people are also starting to recognize her. However, Geeta said that she doesn’t know how to handle compliments.
“I get cornered, get scared and feel the pressure. I remember recently at an airport I met a guy, who asked me for a selfie, and I said, ‘Okay’. He showed me to two gates walking and said, “I want you to take a picture with my wife.” These things are better than the compliments,” she recalled.
Geeta, who has taught acting to students in Haryana schools and colleges, said she feels a certain responsibility to portray different shades of women on screen.
“For me, acting is an opportunity to live the life of a new person every time, to get under the skin of their personality. Acting is a kind of art, which certainly has a purpose. If I could represent the lives of everyone around us, that would be great.
“I have played the role of a sports coach, a politician’s wife, a poor woman, among other things. Through these characters I have been able to live different lives on screen. There are thousands of such characters who should be represented. I hope directors offer me those roles and think I can play those roles well,” she said.