Don't like half-baked exploration of characters: Sarika 

MUMBAI: The evolution of women characters on the screen still doesn't excite Sarika enough as the veteran actor says there is a dearth of well-etched-out roles for artists of her age.

At 61, the actor yearns for something in the same vein as Simi Sinha, the duplicitous character Tabu played in Sriram Raghavan's "Andhadhun".

But it remains only a wish for Sarika, leading her to decline the majority of roles that come her way.

"The placement of the character has not come to the level where female actors would like it. We are still not there. Like when I see 'Andhadun' and Tabu's character, it is so brilliant. And that is what I am saying. People are not writing much for us and so I end up saying no to all projects. If I don't feel good about my work and I am very unhappy. It hurts me," the actor said in an interview.

Sarika began her career as a child actor in the mid-1960s with films such as "Majhli Didi" and "Hamraaz", followed by leading roles in "Geet Gaata Chal", "Madhu Malti", "Jaan-E-Bahaar", and "Jaani Dushman".

But acting took a backseat after she got married to superstar Kamal Haasan in 1988.

She returned to the screen in the mid-2000s with films like "Bheja Fry" and "Parzania", for which she won the National Award for best actress.

Since then, the actor has been making sporadic appearances in movies and shows.

"I look for good roles that let me explore my character fully and have fun with it. I don't like half-baked exploration anymore. There are so many lives out there of women, we don't represent that (on screen). A film like 'Sir' is so nice and realistic. The mainstream female-oriented series are not like that, we are getting trapped in fiction," Sarika said.

If she has to describe her career in a nutshell, the actor said it has been a journey of "hop, skip and jump".

"We get lazy and say it is about choices. I would always say, 'to hop, skip and jump'. When I stopped acting, I did costume designing, then I jumped to sound designing and then I came back to acting. When I found it boring, I jumped to theatre, did backstage, and jumped back (to acting) again. It is always your choice. Now, I am thinking what else to do because we have one life. What are we going to do? Should we not do everything possible. It is fun. Every new thing you do brings insecurity then to feel secure," Sarika said.

The actor said she loves being an actor as the job allows her to express her innermost feelings.

"Being an actor is so beautiful, people may not understand it. There are so many things stored inside you and all those experiences help you somewhere," she added.

Sarika currently stars in Sooraj Barjatya-directed "Uunchai", which dropped in cinema halls across the country on Friday.

She said though her character Mala barely has any dialogues in the film, she found the part an interesting challenge.

"Most of us are trying to do different roles but not that much work comes. To find different roles and scripts is a rare thing and is a challenge. When I did Alankrita Shrivastava's 'Modern Love: Mumbai', it was something I had not done before. In this film, I liked that she was quiet and watching. I believe it is not important to say things every time. So that was interesting for me to explore," she said.

'Uunchai' chronicles the story of four friends in their twilight years, played by Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa.

Also starring Neena Gupta and Parineeti Chopra, 'Uunchai' is produced by Rajshri Productions in association with Mahaveer Jain Films and Boundless Media.

MUMBAI: The evolution of women characters on the screen still doesn't excite Sarika enough as the veteran actor says there is a dearth of well-etched-out roles for artists of her age. At 61, the actor yearns for something in the same vein as Simi Sinha, the duplicitous character Tabu played in Sriram Raghavan's "Andhadhun". But it remains only a wish for Sarika, leading her to decline the majority of roles that come her way. "The placement of the character has not come to the level where female actors would like it. We are still not there. Like when I see 'Andhadun' and Tabu's character, it is so brilliant. And that is what I am saying. People are not writing much for us and so I end up saying no to all projects. If I don't feel good about my work and I am very unhappy. It hurts me," the actor said in an interview. Sarika began her career as a child actor in the mid-1960s with films such as "Majhli Didi" and "Hamraaz", followed by leading roles in "Geet Gaata Chal", "Madhu Malti", "Jaan-E-Bahaar", and "Jaani Dushman". But acting took a backseat after she got married to superstar Kamal Haasan in 1988. She returned to the screen in the mid-2000s with films like "Bheja Fry" and "Parzania", for which she won the National Award for best actress. Since then, the actor has been making sporadic appearances in movies and shows. "I look for good roles that let me explore my character fully and have fun with it. I don't like half-baked exploration anymore. There are so many lives out there of women, we don't represent that (on screen). A film like 'Sir' is so nice and realistic. The mainstream female-oriented series are not like that, we are getting trapped in fiction," Sarika said. If she has to describe her career in a nutshell, the actor said it has been a journey of "hop, skip and jump". "We get lazy and say it is about choices. I would always say, 'to hop, skip and jump'. When I stopped acting, I did costume designing, then I jumped to sound designing and then I came back to acting. When I found it boring, I jumped to theatre, did backstage, and jumped back (to acting) again. It is always your choice. Now, I am thinking what else to do because we have one life. What are we going to do? Should we not do everything possible. It is fun. Every new thing you do brings insecurity then to feel secure," Sarika said. The actor said she loves being an actor as the job allows her to express her innermost feelings. "Being an actor is so beautiful, people may not understand it. There are so many things stored inside you and all those experiences help you somewhere," she added. Sarika currently stars in Sooraj Barjatya-directed "Uunchai", which dropped in cinema halls across the country on Friday. She said though her character Mala barely has any dialogues in the film, she found the part an interesting challenge. "Most of us are trying to do different roles but not that much work comes. To find different roles and scripts is a rare thing and is a challenge. When I did Alankrita Shrivastava's 'Modern Love: Mumbai', it was something I had not done before. In this film, I liked that she was quiet and watching. I believe it is not important to say things every time. So that was interesting for me to explore," she said. 'Uunchai' chronicles the story of four friends in their twilight years, played by Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa. Also starring Neena Gupta and Parineeti Chopra, 'Uunchai' is produced by Rajshri Productions in association with Mahaveer Jain Films and Boundless Media.