Antim: The Final Truth actress Mahima Makwana has been through a long journey before she makes her big Bollywood debut. And I must say, her journey has not been a bed of roses, but it is surely inspirational. Mahima has worked on television, she has also explored the web show with an impactful character in Flesh. Now, as she gears up to venture into the film world, she speaks to us in an exclusive interview about her journey, her experience of working on the film with Salman Khan and Mahesh Manjrekar, looking up to actress Mrunal Thakur and lots more.
Here are the excerpts from her interview:
On her debut with Antim: The Final Truth, if the madness has sunk in…
It actually started sinking in when I saw myself sharing the stage with the stalwarts that I was surrounded with. That’s when it realised that Mahima you are a part of a big film on the big screen, and it has really happened. You know, it has taken me years, sacrifices, hardships, struggles, and what not to be here. So the madness is still sinking in. I think I might just faint when the movie is out. I don’t know, how I am going to react, because it’s my first and nothing better than what I could think of. To have Mahesh Manjrekar filming the project, and sharing screen space with Salman sir, it just felt like a dream. I was literally in disbelief throughout the filming process. So I just feel extremely happy. And I’m proud of my journey.
On playing an impactful character in Flesh…
I’ve always believed and tried to be a part of stories that are unexplored, and universes that are a bit scary to put yourself in. It (Flesh) was a world that we all are aware of, but it was a gruesome world for me to see myself as the human trafficking victim. I always knew that the choices I make have to be different from one another. So, Flesh will always be extremely special to me, because it puts light on a gruesome world that I was unaware of. I feel extremely proud of the fact that I get to be a part of a show which is so relevant, so real, so unapologetic, and at the same time, it was difficult. I think it’s the most challenging thing I’ve done so far. The character, started to take a toll on me, you know, everybody prepares you for how to get into the character, nobody tells you how to get out of it. So I remember taking some counseling sessions to come out of it. As an actor to get into the character I give my heart and soul because there’s nothing else that I can think of. Maybe there is a theoretical process or method acting, but I have learned my job at my job. I have started at such an early age, I was in the formative years of my life where I didn’t know my identity or where I’m going, I didn’t know what was happening, but I kept going at it. I’ve not taken any professional training, whatever I have achieved is of my own, and I absolutely am proud of it.
On how she gets out of a character after it takes a toll on her…
This happened, especially when I was doing a lot of TV, I happened to lose myself as a person, because you are at a job where you’re performing a certain character, and not only for 14 hours, but day in day out you’re working on it. It’s like you’re not living your life, but you’re living a character’s journey. So, sometimes there comes a point where you have to come out of it and just break your conscience. As actors, it’s the toughest to have thicker skin, and at the same time, be as vulnerable, as sensitive as you can be. You have to empathize with the characters you play. I don’t know if anybody has mastered that skill to be vulnerable, I still haven’t. But I have been fortunate enough to not go through a lot of scrutinies, the hardship that I’ve seen, all this while has somehow prepared me for life.
On her journey…
I started off at a very early age, I had to make my choices because I was running my household and making a living out of the unstable, uncertain profession that we belong to, at the same time, maintaining a balance of making the choices that I wanted. That was quite tricky because I would have fallen into a trap of being comfortable or being in the space that I have. But I knew that the actor in me wanted a challenge which is why you see me getting out of Television and finding my own mark in the OTT space. Flesh was a very difficult project for me to tackle because I had just come out of TV, you have to unlearn what you’ve learned all this while, you try to break your own patterns, you don’t want to do what you’ve done on TV, because that’s, that’s a different kind of approach of acting that an actor has. Anyway, TV actors are called over actors, and I feel that is absolutely stupid because we are just delivering what the medium demands, and there’s nothing wrong with it. I come from TV, and the kind of experiences I’ve had, the shows that I’ve done, have helped me in front of the camera. I owe it to the television audience and the projects I have taken up. Having said that it’s not an easy profession to be a part of, especially when you know that you’re not born with a silver spoon. You have to make your own mark and do your own thing, at the same time not let other things affect you as a person because as actors, you face rejections every single day, nobody wants to support you in your journey. Everybody wants to pull you down, so you have to believe in yourself, be resilient, focused, determined, I’m still learning it through the process. And I’ll continue to do that.
On Mrunal Thakur…
Her journey inspires me because she’s also started out from television and she makes sure that she polishes herself as an actor on every single project that she takes up, which is why you see her doing the work that she’s doing.
On being happy and content with her journey…
I have always been overly critical of myself. So I’m not content. I don’t go back and see my shots, I just leave it to the director and the conviction that I have between action and cut. Mahesh sir once told me that your pathway from dreams to reality is what you do between action and cut. I think as actors we are so lucky to have actors who have left a universe of beautiful cinema. I am someone who’s never satisfied with anything that I do. And I think I should keep maintaining this attitude so that I keep pushing myself and I keep getting better and better.
Mahima’s film releases in theatres on 26th November and I am totally looking forward to it.
Written by Nawaz Kochra