THERE IS MUCH MORE TO BEING AN ACTOR THAN JUST DOING THE SCENES
Esha Deol feels artistes today have a lot more involvement in their projects
SNow, there are workshops before the shooting begins and readings of the scripts. ESHA DEOL, Actor
he might have started her film career as an actor only in 2002, with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe, but Esha Deol’s association with the Hindi film industry began right from her birth. The daughter of yesteryear stars Hema Malini and Dharmendra, the actor sure knows how everything works here. And that’s exactly why she is aware of whatever changes have taken place in the industry, in all these years.
“I think it has definitely grown and changed in many ways, especially with the whole digital space coming in, and corporates getting into a lot of things,” says the 39-year-old, who will be seen next in the web show Rudra alongside Ajay Devgn.
Even the whole experience of being an actor, Deol feels, is very different in today’s times. “Now, there are workshops before the shooting begins, readings of the scripts, there is so much more to an actor that can go into the work than just being on set, getting the scenes and saying, ‘Chalo karo yeh scene’. There is a lot more involvement that they allow us as actors today,” she explains.
Deol also starred in and produced Ek Duaa, a short film. And, she believes the situation today is better for female actors. “That’s the reason I am resuming work,” she continues, “The roles coming my way are giving me that incentive to say yes to them. It is very nice stuff, I’d like to play those characters. Having said that, even in the
1980s, when my mum (yesteryear star Hema Malini) was working, she did some really good female-centric films, like Seeta Aur Geeta (1972). Now, it is different with the whole OTT space coming in, giving more variety to actors,” she reasons.
In fact, even the shelf life notion, that male actors can play lead roles well into their 50s, while female actors stop getting lead roles after a certain age, has now gone for a toss, Deol says. “That has changed for sure. As viewers, we could sense that change a while ago, which is great,” she adds.