With Chhorii 2, Soha Ali Khan features in a film role after a considerable gap. The actor spoke to t2 about the challenges of being Daasi Maa in the social horror film, that is now playing on Prime Video, and why having a release on the same Friday as mom Sharmila Tagore (Puratawn) feels special.
What made you say ‘yes’ to Chhorii 2?
It was the presentation of this character (Daasi Maa) which I thought would be very interesting, different and certainly very eerie and sinister. I have never been presented in an eerie and sinister way on screen before. It also felt quite attractive in a way. The vision of (director) Vishal Furia’s horror is very attractive. When horror is appealing, then it becomes the scariest thing... it has the power to draw you in as a viewer and then inflict the scares on you.
The primary motive to do the film was that I thought the story was impactful and that it was pure horror... which is not jump scares, but the idea of the actions that these people are doing in the film is quite horrific. The social message that the film comes with is a bonus. As an actor, it made me feel: ‘Alright, this is entertainment, but it also teaches about a social evil that exists, one that is being perpetrated even today.’ We think it is happening in very far off places, but sometimes it happens very close to us. Perhaps this is something that we can think about and certainly do our part to stop or to at least raise awareness.
Patriarchy, discrimination and generational conditioning are everywhere, right?
Exactly. Even if it is not the extremes of female infanticide or dowry deaths or sati, the very idea of being a woman is fraught with danger. Even if it is not happening in our faces, there is an insidious, sort of subtle or casual misogyny around us. Conditioning dictates expectations of how women should behave and if they don’t, they find themselves excluded from certain work situations, social situations, certain marital situations.... So, life becomes a little more isolated, unless you choose to behave and act in the way that a woman is ‘supposed’ to behave and act.
What kind of reaction has your look elicited? And what was the process of putting on the prosthetics?
What they first did was create a face mould and that is perhaps the most terrifying process I have ever experienced. It was like being inside a CT scan machine but elevated to the power of 10. They literally poured plaster of Paris on me and let it solidify, simply making a few cuts here and there for my eyes and nostrils. It felt like being buried in cement! And then they said: ‘Oh, it is only going to take an hour.’ And I was like: ‘An hour?! You should have asked me if I have a cold or not and if I can breathe through my nose or not. You should have perhaps done a blood pressure test or something to see if I can handle this.’ It was very scary, to be honest.
The whole process of putting on prosthetics is time consuming. It requires a lot of patience, and so does taking it off. A lot goes into creating the atmosphere... there is green screen and VFX and it is post-production-heavy. So actors in such genres of films don’t get a lot of help from the set. You have to imagine and, therefore, you have to rely on other things to perform. You need to lean very heavily on cues from your director. There are many challenging aspects to it.
The other side of being Daasi Maa was wearing normal lehngas, jewellery, having a ghoonghat and just looking mysterious. Actually, the things she does while looking quite normal are horrifying.
The reactions to the look, across the board, have been quite good. I like that they have spent time and money in lending an aesthetic feel to this look. It is not tacky or cringe. I really appreciated that because that was my concern. I didn’t want anyone to say that the make-up was bad or the VFX was not up to the mark. I am very proud that the team put this together really well.
You didn’t want your daughter and husband to see you in this look. I understand about Inaaya, but why Kunal?!
I wanted him to, he didn’t want to! (Laughs) He would disconnect every time I video-called him! He was like: ‘For the next few months, I am fine with not seeing your face’. I thought that was a bit harsh but it is fine.
In the case of Inaaya, though I wanted to see her and say ‘goodnight’ every night, this was not one of those situations where I wanted her to see my face before going to sleep. So I chose not to call her.
But now, just before release, one of the hoardings of the film is just outside her window. But she says: ‘This look is fine because I see this look on you at eight o’clock every evening when I haven’t gone to sleep and you are like, Inaaya, why aren’t you sleeping?’ So she says it is not too disturbing for her (laughs).
Are you a fan of the horror genre? I know you are a voracious reader...
I liked all the Stephen King novels that were then made into movies. The Shining is a great example. Besides that, I loved The Conjuring. There were also Insidious and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which stayed with me. I mostly watch horror on mute or on very low volume because it is the sound that is most terrifying.
I used to think all these things happen in the West only. And then I saw Bhoot and I was like: ‘This is in Lokhandwala, which is very close to home!’ Much later, I watched an old film called 100 Days, which is a murder mystery. I like thrillers more than horror. I do think horror is a good genre for a filmmaker to get into because if done well, it stays with the audience for a long time.
At this stage of your career, what are the boxes you are looking to tick?
I don’t really have boxes. There are so many other aspects to my life, other than acting, which I enjoy. We only have one life and I have always said that my career is just a part of my life.
Also, I am only offered that much. It is not like I am being offered a lot of work and then I am choosing only to do certain projects. I am only being offered some projects and from within that, I have to choose what I enjoy. Luckily, I can stay home if I don’t find something interesting. I am very privileged, I understand that, to be able to choose to work and to be able to choose to stay home and spend time with my daughter and my husband. I am very fortunate that I enjoy their company (smiles).
This has been a rare Friday (April 11) where both you and your mom, Sharmila Tagore, had films releasing. She made her comeback to Bangla cinema with Puratawn. That must be special....
It is very special. I was also noting that and thinking that it is so lovely that she has a theatrical release. She had not worked in Bangla for a long time and she was excited to do a film there. I watched the film at MAMI (Mumbai film festival). She is obviously a phenomenal performer and at the age of 80 to be given the opportunity to play this character is wonderful. The character is also 80 and is gradually losing the faculties of her mind and struggling with dementia. It is something that is hard to watch as a child, but the film is really beautifully made.