In conversation with Barkha Madan
She was the bhoot, in Ram Gopal Verma?s film of the same name. Barkha Madan is the star of the indie film Soch Lo, directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu. Baisakhi Roy chats up with the svelte actress at the screening of the film in Toronto.
Q) Do people still recall your appearance in
Bhoot?
A) Absolutely. They still tell me that I scared
the living daylights out of them.
Q) You are the only known actress in Soch Lo.
Was it nerve wracking to work with a group of newbies?
A) It’s Sartaj’s first film and the technical
crew is new too and so is the rest of the cast. But what really excited me was
that I was presented with a bound script. We held a series of workshops and
rehearsals before we shot the film. It was a terrific experience to work on a
such a professional production. The music is amazing in the film. It’s a mix of
rock and sufi and it’s by first time musicians, Nitish Pires, Charu Mohan and
Mehboob.
Q) Tell us about Pali, your character in the
film
A) I see a lot of myself in her. She is a plucky
girl who is trying to do the right thing for her family and to also help this
strange man she meets under strange circumstances. She is up for an adventure
and she gets more than she bargains for.
Q) You were also involved in the distribution of
this film. What other aspects of film making interest you?
A) I want to create awareness about the
importance of independent films. It’s not easy for a project to be made and
released if it’s not backed by the major production houses. I want to rally for
films like Soch Lo that encourage film makers to make films about themes that
they believe in. I want to convey to the film loving public that there is more
to Bollywood than big budget item numbers and a major star cast.
Q) What projects are you looking at in the
future?
A) I have a talk show lined up. I am also
planning to launch my own production house and my first project will be shot in
Toronto.
Q) Any filmmakers you would love to work with?
Soch Lo received a wide release across North America on November 20, 2010.
The film takes off from the point where a wounded man is left to
die in the desert. He survives the ordeal but loses his identity. He then
resorts to robbing solitary car drivers traversing on this highway. He becomes
a thug and finds an abandoned shed as his hideaway, where three troubled
individuals Harry, Toto and Pali find him. They take him to their home in a
nearby village and name him Baba, the beleaguered stowaway makes a deal with
Harry that he will fight for his property seized by a local brute and in return
Harry would help him find his real identity. When Harry is not of any help,
Pali steps in.
Baba and sympathetic Pali embark on a very long journey to solve
his mystery. Flashes of his wife, visions of being stabbed and then betrayed
come rushing to his mind.
His relentless search leads to something more diabolic than his
expectations.
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