Patralekhaa feels people want to watch happy, funny things
There are filmmakers who want to tell gritty stories in all seriousness, and then there are ones who feel a dose of humour and wit will make a movie more watchable. Actor Patralekhaa, who has worked in both types of films, has come to believe the audience wants to consume cinema which can lighten up their mood.
The actor’s maiden film was CityLights (2014), in which she essayed a supportive wife to a poor farmer. And her last project, the web film Badnaam Gali (2019) featured her as a surrogate mother. The latter was however laced with humour.
The actor recounts how when she had heard the narration of the film, she had pointed it out to the makers that they were talking about a serious issue. But she was told that while the first draft that was written was “very dark”, they didn’t want to take the narrative in that direction.
“They told me — we want to make it funny and entertaining, because we want to reach a large audience,” Patralekhaa shares.
And the actor found it fitting, too. She explains, “In our day-today life, after working the whole day, we come back home and really don’t want to get into a gritty space. That’s the feedback I got from CityLights. I was told that it’s a great film, but it’s dark, and that made people sad.”
Patralekhaa realised people want to come home and be happy. “They want to sit with their family and watch happy and funny things. It lightens up the mood. That’s why Badnaam Gali touched a lot many more hearts... it was talking about a social cause, but it made people laugh.” Citing the example of Charlie Chaplin, she says, “If you’ve watched Chaplin, in hindsight, it is very tragic. But people just see the funny aspect of it.”
PATRALEKHAA ACTOR In our day-to-day life, after working the whole day, we come back home and really don’t want to get into a gritty space. That’s the feedback I got from CityLights.