I am always drawn towards films that shows the reflections of society. One such such movie that touched my soul is Siya. The film narrates the story of a minor gang rape survivor who fights all odds of society to get justice. Helmed by Manish Mundra, the film stars Vineet Kumar Singh and Pooja Pandey in the lead roles. In an exclusive conversation with Team MissMalini, the actors speak about preparing for the roles, learnings from their character, challenges and lots more.
But before that, here’s a look at the trailer:
On playing a lawyer Vineet says…
I am playing Mahendra’s character, who is practices law. I have seen these kind of people and know the lifestyle that these kind of people lead. I had to be careful about not standing out. I wanted to live this character in an invisible way.
On preparing for the titular role Pooja says…
I couldn’t do the workshop with Manish Mundra sir for this role as I was unable to get the time. So, I had gone to stay in a village of our film’s creative producer to learn the mannerisms of people, their eating habits, their problems. In that village, I visited many houses of random people. Due to their shyness they couldn’t speak much. They shared few things with me that helped me prepare for the character. In between, I used to watch videos of rape survivors to get into the skin of the character. It used to be disturbing and traumatizing. The film’s team had met few of the rape survivors. There is also a significance of the role of silence. I have tried to emote pain through eyes in the film. Apart from dialogues, I gave more emphasis on expressions in the eyes.
On being able to relate the subject of the film in real life, Vineet says…
When I was doing a medical internship in college, I can recollect a similar incidence of physical abuse from that time. The victim’s family were feeling skeptical to share their problem as they were ashamed of the situation. I feel it as weird when the family members think like that. That incident was stuck in my memory. When I was doing Siya, I could always remember that incident. We often hear when females travel outside, guys behave inappropriately. I think this should be stopped. For that it is important for people to know that they won’t be spared if they commit any such activity. That’s why I said it is important to have people like Mahendra around us. When similar mindset of people are seen together, the incident can be stopped then and there itself.
About the challenges, Pooja says…
Actually the entire film was challenging as an actor. There is a scene where two guys are dragging the girl, that was tough to perform. Mentally it took a toll on me. Though Manish sir had told me that there was an option to use body double, but I wanted to take it as a challenge and do the scene by myself. I got hurt as well while doing the scene, but I think these things don’t matter, only your performance matters.
About learning from this character, Vineet says…
I feel every character gives you something as well as takes away something from you. With Mahendra’s character, I tried to perform without going over the top. I feel without giving huge monologues, you can still do heroic work. I also like the fact that he stands for Siya on human ground, who is not at all related to him. He knows that he is not going to have any financial or social gain while helping the victim. I feel we need people like him around us in order to avoid such incidents to happen in future. It is important nowadays to have people like him in every building, community, district and villages.
On being the part of the project, Pooja narrates…
The entire film is a learning experience. It is a story of a minor girl who doesn’t given up on her journey. Her courage of fighting alone without the help of family members is the best part of this film’s subject.
On loosing weight for the film, Vineet shares…
When the film came to me, I was preparing for an action film. I had to gain weight for that particular role and I was in my cutting phase. That time, I was 84 kgs. In that film, my character was totally different in appearance wise as compared to Mahendra. I understood that with this physicality, it was not possible to play him. When I had met the director, he was also surprised to see me in that shape. That time, it was lockdown, and I had turned my home into a gym.
I always wanted Mahendra to be someone so ordinary that you wouldn’t even know that he walks past you. So, from 84 kgs, I got my weight down to 67 kgs when we started shooting for Siya.
I had done the physical transformation earlier as well when I did Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 with Anurag Kashyap. That time I also reduced 17 kgs Even in Mukkabaaz, I had to physically transform the body. When I was doing Rangbaaz, I gained weight for that project. I understand my body well and it responds. And I also know in this process, I can reach towards my character.
On his working with Vineet, Pooja shares…
His humbleness, he is a grounded personality. The way he shapes his character, works hard for it and brings it to life. It shows in his dedication, the way he also improvises is worth appreciating.
Siya releases on September 16, 2022 in cinema halls across India.