Mita Vasisht’s new look is doing wonders for her, signalling the transformation from art to commercial cinema. She’s signed Subhash Ghai’s Taal in which she’s playing the woman of the nineties … is going great guns with her first television production Ghum and is generally on a high these days…
Viewers who recently saw an episode of Saturday Suspense did a double take. The fast paced episode, a remake of Mel Gibson’s Ransom had Mita Vasisht enacting the role of a mother whose kid’s kidnapped. But Mita was not your usual saree clad stereotypical mama. She had metamorphosed into a glamorous woman flaunting designer outfits, sporting a short blunt cut and a hip go-getting attitude calling for attention. The interesting part is that this transformation is not limited to the screen; Mita has donned this persona in real life too.
Heralding the sign of her arrival in the commercial circuit, Mita’s new get-up seems to be doing wonders for her. She’s signed Subhash Ghai’s Taal in which she plays the role of a contemporary, city-bred upwardly mobile woman. Her first television production from Rain Movies, her software company, Ghum has completed five episodes and she’s ready with two more projects that are in the process of getting finalised. As the on-line producer for her husband Anup Singh’s international production on the life and times of Ritwik Ghatak to be premiered in London, Mita is giving the final touches. And last but not the least, she’s doing Makrand Deshpande’s play Baaje Dhol after a considerable gap. “Five years ago I would have never thought I would diversify in so many directions,” beams Mita.
Fresh from the success of Ghulam and to a certain extent Dil Se, Mita exclaims that this is the most exciting phase for her as an actress. Was it to complement the feel-good phase that she went in for the hep look, we wonder. “Not really, I was tired of my look which I had to adapt for my arty roles and I decided it was time for a change. Frankly, this is the way I used to dress in college. I always had short hair and wore skirts. I just thought of going back to being myself,” explains Mita. Is she angling for a lead role in commercialdom, we ask? After a pause she replies with a twinkle in her eyes,“Why not, if the role is written for me?”
A NSD graduate, Mita entered the file industry when art cinema was at its peak and television had just opened its doors to sponsored programmes. Since she was the type who gave importance to performance-oriented roles Mita landed up doing both television and films simultaneously. But art films came her way more than the commercial ones and after a couple of them “which weren’t seen much” she got stuck in that groove. On television however, she got noticed with her roles in Govind Nihalani’s telefilm Jazzerien, Gulzar’s Kirdaar and a Delhi-based production Pachpan Khambe Laal Deeware. But somehow things, did not seem to be happening for this talented actress. Not one to lose heart Mita channelised her creativity into directing plays for NSD. Then Drohkaal happened and Mita went on to win the Screen award for her performance. “The only award I have received till date, I cherish it very much, ” she smiles.
But it was with Swabhimaan the tele-serial directed by Mahesh Bhatt that Mita as Devika won a fan following. “Though she’s a negative character, viewers, especially young girls loved her for her independent, no-nonsense go-getting attitude. I have girls writing to me pointing out positive aspects of the character,” she exclaims with a surprise. But that’s the way Mita works. Be it a stereotype house wife like the one she played in Drishti or the victim she played in Drohkaal, Mita sees to it that the character has its own dignity and integrity. “I discover the character and allow it to influence the role but never play for sympathy,” she asserts. Even in her latest venture Ghum which is an adaptation of a noted English play Mita portrays the role of Josie, the girl who pretends to be the woman of the world, who is not apologetic about the reputation she has created for herself.
Ghum telecast on DD2 on Wednesday at 10.30 pm was commissioned by Doordarshan for DD3. But by the time the serial got made DD3 wound up. But DD bosses liked the serial so much that they decided to schedule it on DD2. “One fine day I got a call from DD informing me that the serial will be aired on so and so date and I was pleasantly surprised,” says Mita. The serial which revolves around three bizarre characters is a dark comedy.
In fact all the plays chosen by Mita are extremely moving and take a close, hard look at human emotions. “It was important for me to bring out the real emotions because most of the serials that are aired today are just advertisements for emotion, there’s no storytelling,” she laments. However, she’s quick to clarify that she isn’t into television to improve or change the system. “I am here because this profession is a part of my life style and I am passionate about it,” she informs. What next? “According to Subhash Ghai there’s hidden writer and director in me waiting to come out and he maybe right,” she muses.
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