What does it take to get an actress into the skin of her character?
For Veebha Anand, the lead actress of Zee TV?s new show ?Sanskaar Laxmi?, an exhaustive workshop was arranged by the writer cum producer, Raju Bhai.
Veebha, is all gung-ho about playing the role of Lakshmi and was insistent about leaving no stone unturned when it came to lending credibility to the character that she portrays on screen.
?Having been brought up in the small town of Dehradun, I empathize with the small town mentality of Lakshmi but for a month before we started shooting, I felt that there was more to be done to become Lakshmi on screen.
Moreover my producer Raju Bhai has placed such immense faith in me so I did not want to disappoint him,? said Veebha when we contacted her.
?I began watching Guajarati movies & plays to understand the essence of the region, language and the mannerisms of its people. Raju Bhai was kind enough to take time out to give me lessons so that I could learn to speak the language well and pick up the accent that would lend authenticity to my portrayal of Laxmi.
I play a girl who is full of life, innocent and makes a difference wherever she goes,? she said.
The actress has even learnt some Gujarati folk songs owing to the long Dandiya and Garba lessons that she has been taking from her Gujarati friends in Mumbai.
Seems that this lovely lass will soon be walking and talking with the panache of the native Guajarati with all the preparation that she has been putting into the role!
When contacted Raju Bhai said, ?Yes I did hold workshops for Veebha and other actors of the show to groom them to enact their Gujarati characters to the T.
All of them were very co-operative. With Veebha, in particular, it was not very tough as she has already portrayed a similar character on Indian Television. Her dedication is seen to be believed and I?m hoping she endears all with her performance.?
Meanwhile, these days, it is a task in itself to get an actress ready for her shot in front of the camera. And if being made up to play an actress wasn?t enough, imagine having to dress up as a man too!
Veebha faced this situation when she had to perform a dance that was based on the story of Shiva as the ardhanarishwara.
?The ardhanarishwara is the best example of the perfect union of the complementary pairs that form the world.
Since I am playing the role of Laxmi who is a devout Shiv Bhakt on the show, I was asked to dance on the Shiv Taandav music and sing a melodious stuti in praise of Lord Shiva and offer prayers on the Shivling,? said Veebha.
She said, ?I am a Bhangra & Bollywood type of girl so you can imagine my plight at having to attempt two very different styles of dancing & that too within just two days!! The make-up and hair too was exhaustive but at the end of the day I hope I was able to do justice to the expectations that were placed on me.?
The dance had to be performed in an exclusive manner where Veebha plays both Shiva and Shakti and wears a costume that is half of Shiv Shankar and half of Parvati (Shakti).
With the make-up requiring Veebha’s face to be painted half in blue representing Shiv Shankar’s anger and the other half to be that of Parvati ji’s serenity and calmness; it took approximately four hours to finish the makeup and another two hours to do the hair.
?But the effort was totally worth it! She danced with such energy and grace that I am sure the gods must be smiling down on her,? said a source from the sets.