Small and Big

Surprisingly, Surekha, an avid theatre artiste, found it difficult to get theatre assignments in Mumbai. “I approached some groups but couldn’t break through,” she sighs. Her debut film was Amrit Nahata’s political drama Kissa Kursi Ka ( 1978). Since then she’s done notable roles in Govind Nihalani’s telefilm Tamas, Saeed Mirza’s Salim Langde Pe Pat Ro, Shyam Benegal’s Mammo, Sardari Begum, Zubeidaa and Hari Bhari, the Aamir Khan starrer Sarfarosh and Rituparna Ghosh’s Raincoat. “I didn’t do well in Tamas,” she reverts instinctively to her selfdeprecating tone. “When I watched it later, I found myself lacking in emotion. I underplayed it too much.” Reading my thoughts, she quickly checks herself, “I can’t help being self- critical. I’m always looking for mistakes in my body language and voice inflexion.” She had a great run on television. Banegi Apni Baat ( 1994) and Just Mohabbat ( 1996). Both running for four years, had the audience thawing to her. But she found television a bit erratic. “The character would suddenly change to play to the gallery, the storylines kept altering. I’d wonder what’s going on… But I’m thankful for every bit of work I got.” Years later, it was her character, Dadisa, in Balika Vadhu ( 2008- 16), which made her the nation’s most- loved matriarch. “Dadisa is closest to me as a person. She’s like me – emotional yet balanced.”