EXCLUSIVE | Shweta Basu Prasad on playing a sex worker: 'Embarrassed that I didn't read enough about this community'

Shweta Basu Prasad is a name that immediately brings back fond memories of Makdee and Iqbal. She has also been a part of projects like Badrinath Ki Dulhania and more recently, Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach. She’s now gearing up for Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown: Resetting Lives. In this document about the pathos and hardships of the lockdown, Prasad essays the role of a sex worker whose life comes to screeching halt as the pandemic hits.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, she spoke about her character, how she prepared for it, and lots more.

On preparing for the role of a sex worker

I think it’s the challenges as an actor that pique your interest. The more distinct it is, the more challenging it is, it kind of unboxes your personality like no other thing can. Of course, everything was there on paper, during the narration, it was all decided by Madhur sir how this character is going to be. I must confess that I was embarrassed that I didn’t read enough about this community during the lockdown. We spoke about micro-workers, mental health issues, coffee making on Instagram, but we didn’t speak enough about this community business, livelihood, and survival. So obviously it was very responsible because you were representing an entire community. Madhur sir, the art director, myself, we all went to Kamathipura; I met the commercial sex workers and there were other departments as well for research. Obviously I cannot tell you about those interactions but I did up a lot of mannerisms, the way they stood, the way they spoke, the way they sat, there’s a certain posture. I picked up the way they did their make-up, it was not glamourous but something that allowed attention. It was all about the way they lived, the way they shared their house, the bathrooms with a strong smell of detergent. I used to apply jasmine oil during the shoot so that I could have that smell. The film is not about triggering the emotions of the pandemic of 2020. Be it any art form, be it literature or a painting or a movie, all the important events should be documented. The stories could be heartbreaking but it’s a human story and that’s exactly what India Lockdown is as well.

‘OTT is very democratic’

On being asked about the OTT platform, the actress said, ‘OTT is very democratic. Earlier, a small film would get a morning show and then see a decline in the number of shows. What has happened with OTT is that everything is on the same platform, there are great shows, great writing, multiple seasons, fleshed out characters. But as an actor, I’ve made peace with the fact that whatever I’m doing will be watched on a mobile phone. But there’s great content, great work, big filmmakers, big production houses bring money also, but you have to make peace with the size of the screen. Also, what you’re watching is on subscription for monthly, quarterly, yearly, as opposed to a film where audiences are paying ever time you watch a film. As Madhur sir said, it’s Cinema, it needs to co-exist.

On female characters

I don’t think female characters is a recent phenomena. Be it Achhut Kanya or Sujata or Umrao Jaan or Jab We Met or even Chandni Bar, Madhur sir has been writing such strong female characters. The dialogues have increased a lot. Earlier, when actresses crossed their 20’s, they used to have roles that weren’t pivotal, but today you see Neena Gupta and Shefali Shah. Today, characters and roles are being written for all age groups and all walks of life. That gives you a sense of security as an actor that different types of roles are going to be written even 10-20 years from now.

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