Do less, but better has been Sandhya Mridul's philosophy in life, which the actor says has helped her in establishing herself as a versatile performer.
Sandhya, who started her journey as an actor in 1994 with popular TV show Banegi Apni Baat and went to become one of the most acclaimed faces on television with Swabhimaan and Koshish, believes in letting her creativity breath.
When I did TV, I chose the best I could. I didn't do every show that was offered to me. I love acting too much. I don't want to be on a set just to make money or just because I don't know what else to do with my life.
I need to create and that creativity needs to breath. It's possible only by not overcrowding myself with the work I don't want to do, the actor told PTI in an interview.
Sandhya said she joined the profession for the love for her craft and hence cashing in on her success was never an option.
For me it was important to be versatile as a performer. I always believed I had the power in me to be versatile. I knew I can't keep doing the same part. It would be boring for me and for audiences. I didn't want to make money out of doing the same thing again and again. I tried doing different things and different roles. That was my only effort.
In early 2000s she decided to make a switch to films as she was being pigeonholed on small screen. Her breakthrough in movies came with Shaad Ali's 2002 feature Saathiya, post the success of which she went on to star in Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3.
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The acclaim the film and her performance received, however, made it challenging for the actor to break out from the image of a bold girl.
I was this bindas' girl, but I said 'no, I'm not going to play this girl again give me something else'. I just have one thing in mind that whenever I come on screen, I do something good and with complete dedication. Because in the end, when I go from this world, I want a versatile resume. Acting is not my work, it's my passion, she said.
Her latest acting gig is ALTBalaji and Zee5's comedy-drama series Mentalhood, and Sandhya said she decided to come on board the show as it was sending out a message with humour.
The nature of the show is very positive. It is very important for me that a message should be given with a lot of laughter and love and I think Mentalhood' does that. That resonated with me. I'm kind of a person who likes to say things but with a touch of humour, she said.
Sandhya said the series also gave her an opportunity to change the stereotypical portrayal of mothers in the entertainment industry.
For the longest time we have had a certain kind of a treatment for mothers on screen. We always focus on a good mother or a bad mother. But there are all kinds of mothers. A mother can also have a bad day, when she is not great to her child or her husband or herself.
There are days when she would react because it is human. The show brings on screen this human side. At the end of the day they are mothers and they are givers, she said.
The series, written by Ritu Bhatia and directed by Karishma Kohli, also features Karisma Kapoor, Shilpa Shukla, Tillotama Singh, Shruti Seth and Dino Morea.
Mentalhood is currently streaming on ALTBalaji and Zee5.