Actress Ridhi Dogra has come a long way in her career. She has transitioned from one medium to another exploring differeent genres anad characters. This year has been a great one so far for her as she had back to back releases from 'Asur 2', 'Badtameez Dil', 'Jawan' and now 'Mumbai Diaries 2' that recently releasd on Prime Video. Though Ridhi has a small stint on the show yet she takes the centre stage on several occasions.
Post the release of 'Mumbai Diaries 2', we had a freewheeling conversation with Ridhi where she spoke at length about the show, her prep for the role and a lot more. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Ridhi, currently you are on a roll. How does it feel?
It's been quite a year and I didn't anticipate any of this. Most of the stuff that has come out I have shot over the last two years has come out one after the other and it's pretty great. I was very excited for Mumbai Diaries. I couldn't talk about it at all to anybody, I couldn't say a word and I was like 'when is the show coming out?' I had no idea. When I heard from Nikkhil that it's coming out soon, it felt great. I am glad that it's finally out and now I can say that I am part of this fantastic show and the world that all these wonderful cast and crew have created. It's amazing to have such a great year and it's a blessing for any artist and also to be able to work with the teams that I am getting to work with. It's a great time to be an actor.
Are you enjoying this inning of your life?
It's not an inning of my life because I feel there is still a lot that I can do.
How did it feel to join the staff of Bombay General Hospital?
I feel great. There were lots of medical workshops to some serious work and it's not easy, especially because the vibe and the world that Nikkhil (Advani) sir has created with the whole team it's hats off to these people. I don't know...I mean I know how they did it the part of the medical research, there were doctors, there was a gynaec on set with me. It was an incredible experience as an actor and that's what as an actor I am constantly looking out for that. Your own life is so plain boring that you want to be in the lives of your characters and live through them. It was absolutely brilliant to watch all these actors play.
You are having a small stint in the show? I have heard many actors saying screen space shouldn't matter if you can leave an impact. So, do you feel the same?
That's exactly what I stand for. There are no small parts, but there are only small actors and if you think you are a small actor, then you will always remain so. And I don't think so. I take that as a challenge and that's the beauty of being an actor that you have and it's also because of the actors I have seen growing up.
If I look back at a film like Saathiya, which had Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi we remember the few shots where Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu were there. The impact that it had was like 'oh my god' and that's what you want to achieve as an actor. Even if I come for a small little time I hope I am able to add something. So, yes, small parts don't matter to me but that's only possible only when you have a team that supports and believes in you and that has a vision for you. Otherwise, you can't get lost. So, it's not always the best scenario to do small parts but yes, it is the team you are working for is invested in you and they believe in your character then it doesn't matter if it's a small part.
What was the hardest part while shooting for 'Mumbai Diaries 2'?
I think for me the hardest part was to find myself...get a groove into this honestly because I am not a player from the beginning. So, I don't know anything about this world and when I came in I was expected to deliver. Apart from the prep that I saw before, the medical shot and everything. But when I came, my first day was that single shot where cameras moving across the whole corridors of the hospital. Although I love single shots as an actor but I love that whole you know how the DOP manages it. I have done it all my life and have enjoyed it but you have to find a space or fine tune yourself to come to the same space with the director and the team. The moment you can achieve that you are home. I think for me my first day may be it was designed that way that I should without having been told I should find my space in this whole thing because I was given no chance to sit back and take it all in. We were on our feet and there were like take and take after rehearsals.
