Neha Saraf Calls Her Kathal Co-Star Sanya Malhotra 'Pyaari Ladki', 'We Are So Similar' | Exclusive

Neha Saraf has been in the film industry for over 10 long years. Hailing from a theatre background, the actress made her debut with 2010 Rajpal Yadav starrer Kushti followed with 2019 Laxman Utekar’s social comedy Luka Chuppi opposite Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon. Besides these, Neha Saraf’s Piya Behrupiya, a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelveth Night had become the talk of the town when it was first released in 2019.

The actress was also a pivotal part of Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Dream Girl as well as her most latest satirical film Kathal, a unique and quriky story of a jackfruit which has gone missing. She played constable Kunti with Sanya Malhotra and others. During an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Neha Saraf got candid about the bond she shares with Sanya Malhotra, her acting journey so far and more.

Neha Saraf Opens Up About Her Co-Actor Sanya Malhotra

I have given a nickname to Sanya. I call her ‘Pyaari Ladki’. Because she is genuinely ‘pyaari’, has no air around her,. I always call her that because she is very sweet. Just a day prior to going on the floors, I met her and she hugged me like ‘Hi Kunti kaisi hai?’ like we had known each other for years. It’s didn’t even take us a second to break ice with her. She sort of established the relationship between our on-screen characters like that. She is down-to-earth, works amicably with everyone on the sets, very punctual. There are so many things that make us so similar to one another. Infact I shared the same with all my co-actors. Now Sanya regularly comes to watch my plays and our bond is like I can say anything to her and she’ll take it well and vice versa. I am sure not only me but other actors too would love to work with her. She is passionate towards her craft and wants to showcase her skills.

Neha Saraf On Whether She Consciously Chooses Projects With Social Themes

I am not that big an actor currently that I get to choose what kind of roles I do. However, I am very lucky that I am getting such projects that have social themes along with the entertainment quotient. So it’s a win win for me. Generally whenever I get a project, I tend to see as an actor what’s in for me? For example, in Kathal I had to play a police cop, one of the most celebrated and decorated roles in the Bollywood landscape. There are so many stereotypes about them that the audience form preconceived notions in their head. But that was not the approach that I wanted with my character. If we look around, we’ll see cops are not filmy especially female cooys who are managing the household as well attending their duties. So I wanted to give that normalcy to Kunti and I thought that bit was challenging. So I search for such roles.

Neha Saraf Reveals If Kathal Could Have Caused An Outrage Due To It’s Theme

Kathal doesn’t just talk about one issue but the society in general with it’s minor issues. Whether it’s caste discrimination, gender discrimination, women empowerment, hierarchal setup of the system etc. So I believe the film addresses these beautifully and conveyed it’s purpose. I feel fortunate because there 70+80% women who manage both household and professional lives with adeptness and they don’t have any complaints. When Mahima asks me whether she wants a promotion, without any hesitation she says no because her husband and her family is based in that city and her focus is on that as well. And that she is content with how things are. If she gets promotion, she’ll be transferred and it’ll impact her husband as well. So to be able to portray the stories of such women was an honour. The good thing about Kathal is that it doesn’t have any sharp edges. Usually films made on social issues become intense and heavy. It depends on what kind of issues you are addressing. But in our common lives, things take place just like that and we move on from it. So if we approached a story in a light manner with humour and everything, there is nothing better than that.

Neha Saraf Wanted To Keep Her Character Of Police Officer Closer To Reality

I come from a small city. I have seen school teachers peeling peas and knitting sweaters inside the classrooms. At the same time, she is also teaching the class. She has to complete her lessons, attend to other professional commitments and at the same have things prepared ahead of cooking for which she can’t out the time. It’s not like that woman is running away from her duties but she doesn’t have any time. That’s what I wanted to bring to my character. So my approach was to keep it as simple and poignant from what I have seen throughout my life.

Neha Saraf Talks About Things She Learnt From Guneet Monga

The best quality of Guneet Monga is that whatever project she chooses to produce, she does it with utmost attention and keenness. There is a zeal in her when she is working. She monitors things on sets and she doesn’t just sit around just because she is a producer. She pays attention to everything. Even Achint, the other producer, he was also sweet and he’ll be on the sets 5 AM sharp if the call time was such. There is so much of dedication in both of them. Both my producers taught me things like being determined, to be involved and passionate enough with whatever you are associated with.

Neha Saraf Reveals That There Is No Hiearchy On Film Sets These Days

I like everything about the industry in the current times. The actors and stars have a different method of working now. They don’t behave like stars on the system. They like to treat their co-actors as friends. Whether I did Dream Girl with Ayushmann Khurrana or Luka Chuppi with Kartik Aaryan, the atmosphere is not such where stars get special treatment. They don’t sit seperately. They interact with their co-actors. Everybody wants to give their best shot because the audience has attained a certain level of wisdom and especially after pandemic, they have grown exponentially. Sitting at home, they have consumed so much of good and bad content that they have an understanding of if something is up to the mark. So that in turn has created a pressure on the actors to deliver the best and that’s only possible when they work together like a team without any hiearchy or boundary. Moreover, actors now undergo more prep before hitting the sets. Everyone is growing. Back when I started, the hierarchal system was there and I could even feel that but it’s not there anymore.

Neha Saraf On Whether Aspiration Towards Playing A Lead In A Project Is Slowly Changing Due To OTT

I am a theatre actor first. So in that sense, whether the role is that of a lead character, tea vendor or every a tree, there is an equal respect for every actor involved. However, as an actor, it’s important whether you are able to create your space in the platform that you’ve been given. That is always my goal. It doesn’t matter whether I get the lead or not. Definitely OTT has given more work, more opportunities

that we are getting to see so many people doing such good jobs. Some of them aren’t even trained but there is this water-quality towards their craft. Setting aside my training and acting school, my focus is to work. If my work speaks then good.

Neha Saraf Breaks Down Acting In Front Of A Camera Vs In A Theatrical Play

Theatre is much more difficult since you are performing for the live audience to watch, you should have thrown in your voice, you should project more, you have to do things larger than life.But you can’t do these things in front of the camera. Both the mediums are good but theatre is something else because you get the results of your performance then and there itself. So both the mediums are great. One should enjoy both these spaces. As long as you are enjoying you work, nothing else matters.

Neha Saraf Gets A Lot Of Compliments From Thespians Like Naseeruddin Shah

I’ve received compliments from Naseeruddin Shah for my play Behrupiya. I’ve recieved compliments from so many legendary people infact. Behrupiya is based on Shakespeare’s 12th night and it has been running for a long time. But when the show opened up for the first time. I want to just learn more and everyday and I have learnt a lot from Vijay Raaz Rajpal Yadav etc. Sometimes you get to learn from people when you are with them. I have worked with him on three films. So when you witness him during rehearsals, you get very happy to see him in his element, you wonder how can a actor have so much inside him?

That one moment he is busy with the take and the other moment he having fun with us. Rajpal Yadav, I had worked with him on Kushti, and even in the most difficult scene where he was wearing a wig and sweating without once breaking the character. So things like these is worth learning where you give more impetus to your work. For example, Gajraj Rao messaged me after watching Kathal. The minor details that actors notice in my acting, when I get appreciated for that, I feel happy.

Neha Saraf Explains If Formal Training Is Necessary For Becoming An actor

Training is very important but the crops of actors I have been seeing in current times. Despite no training, their work is at par with any trained actor. So I get confused. I feel like an actor can get trained on the sets also.