Enacting Mrinalini Sarabhai is a blessing
REGINA CASSANDRA REVEALS WHAT WENT INTO PLAYING THE LATE LEGENDARY INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCER
The actress is slowly but surely making steady inroads in Hindi. After being part of Shahid Kapoor’s yet-to-betitled web series, she’s bagged Nikhil Advani’s Rocket Boys, directed by Ajay Pannu.
The show, which stars Jim Sarbh as Homi J Bhabha and Ishwak Singh as Vikram Sarabhai, two renowned scientists who pioneered India’s nuclear programme, Regina will play Vikram Sarabhai’s wife Mrinalini Sarabhai, the late legendary classical dancer.
Apparently, Regina got both the opportunities during the first lockdown. “I’m a bit lucky and very grateful to have landed these roles because I hadn’t done a lot of networking,” she states.
HAPPY WHERE SHE IS
Speaking about how she always wanted to do new roles and push her limits as an actor, Regina tells us that working in Hindi was a conscious step in that direction. And clearly, the actress — whose role in her debut Hindi film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga found much appreciation — is glad that she’s been getting opportunities.
“Isn’t that what versatility is about for an actor?” she asks, adding that working in Hindi means a lot to her. “Language is no barrier when the lines are increasingly blurring between regional, national and international films.”
Regina is thrilled for the kind of roles being
written for women today.
IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH ONE OF THE BEST IN CLASSICAL DANCE AND ALLCONSUMING EXPERIENCE LEARNING UNDER MALLIKA SARABHAI,” SAYS REGINA, WHO EVEN VISITED MALLIKA SARABHAI’S DANCE ACADEMY ‘DARPAN’ (ESTABLISHED BY MRINALINI SARABHAI AND VIKRAM SARABHAI IN 1949) IN GUJARAT.
“Isn’t it amazing to see filmmakers writing roles that are realistic, especially for women?” she asks excitedly. “With time, the platforms and storytelling formats are also changing. I am glad that I am part of this transition.”
LEARNING DANCE FROM A SARABHAI
Getting back to her role in Rocket Boys, the star tells us that she was nervous and equally excited that she would be enacting Mrinalini Sarabhai. “Mrinalini ji was a legend and an authority on classical dance, the one who took dance to the people. Given her credentials and accomplishments, this was a challenging role even as it’s a blessing playing her,” voices Regina, who had to prepare a lot for her part.
With two dance performances in the show, Regina, who had trained in Bharatanatyam when she was in school and college, had to ensure she seemed authentic here as well. So she took extra Bharatanatyam classes for over a month to ensure she was on the dot. But as she came on board the film last year when the lockdown was still on, she started off with online classes.
“Initially, getting a hand on the dance form was a bit tough. But later, I took physical classes in Mumbai and Jaipur and practiced extensively,” she reveals, adding that as the shoot neared, she was thorough with her dance.
Even as she talks about how liberating it was to learn Bharatanatyam, t h e actress reveals that the icing on the cake was when she knew that Mrinalini’s daughter Mallika Sarabhai choreographed the show’s dance sequences. “It was an amazing experience working with one of the best in classical dance and
all-consuming experience learning under Mallika Sarabhai,” says Regina, who even visited Mallika Sarabhai’s dance academy ‘Darpan’ (established by Mrinalini Sarabhai and Vikram
Sarabhai in 1949) in Gujarat. “It was a divine feeling visiting the academy.”
HER ROLE IN THE OTHER WEB SERIES
In the Shahid Kapoor-starrer, Regina will be playing Vijay Sethupathi’s wife. And for Regina, who’s even dubbing for her lines in all her Hindi assignments, the Hindi language wasn’t an issue because she has known Hindi since her school days. She did, however, need to get the diction and accent right for the Raj–DK directorial, she tells us. “I’ve always enjoyed learning new languages,” explains Regina. “I also have several Hindi-speaking friends, so I ensured I communicated with them in Hindi. So the language became a part of my life as I conversed in Hindi daily.”
Incidentally, she’s also been getting some great offers in Hindi. “I’ve always been choosy about my work, but I’ve also been blessed enough to get great opportunities,” she adds modestly. So are the audiences going to see her more often in Hindi now?
“Why only in Hindi? The audience can see me in all languages,” she says with a reassuring smile, adding that she has spaced out her work such that the audience can get to see her in the south-Indian films and in Hindi. “The audience will not miss me anyway because I have so many films — six films in the South and three in Hindi.” With the quantum of work at hand and having to juggle between Hindi and south-Indian film sets, Regina’s been travelling extensively of late — not that she’s complaining.
“Isn’t it amazing to see filmmakers writing roles that are realistic, especially for women? With time, the platforms and storytelling formats are also changing” - Regina