After all the delay your film Shiddat is finally up for a release, how do you feel about that?
Radhika: Frankly, butterflies are jumping inside. We’ve waited for two years and now it’s finally coming out, the trailer is already out and we can’t wait for people to see what we have done. I hope it resonates with them and connects with them. We have put in a lot of Shiddhat and I hope they like it that much. That is all we are thinking right now I am really, really excited and nervous.
Sunny: Absolutely, I think the response on the trailer has been amazing and so positive. In the YouTube comment section, people are like loving it and are so positive to see all the love and joy and reactions on the trailer. I think, we have given all the love and full Shiddat in this film and have made this film and hope they give us the same love back with the same Shiddat because it is fun to give and receive the love.
What was the most difficult part to shoot in this film?
Radhika: If you’re talking about the film, Karthika is really the opposite of me. She thinks a lot, so the most challenging part was to get into my head and comprehend this easy concept of love. It was really challenging for me as a person it would have been amazing for me I was playing Jaggi but Sunny took that role. (laughs)
Sunny: We are living in a generation where love is so futile. Like everything is left swipe -right swipe or dating apps and all on a phone. We don’t feel the worth of love till a certain point. So to break that conditioning and to break those norms. That’s what I kept saying to Sridhar Sir who is the writer and KD who was the director. That it’s like he is doing and on the surface level his is this motivation but why? But why is he giving up? Why would anyone give up? And that question was very important for me to kind of break myself emotionally and mentally. I am emotional, EQ, and my IQ to kind of understand that kind of perspective and take it from there.
What is the most difficult emotion to express when you in love?
Radhika: I think for me and Karthika as well it is not able to comprehend thoughts in your head and because the thing is that there are too many thoughts how do we filter it out and when there are too many thoughts and people ask you questions you actually don’t know what you feel. So that is something which really challenging and people who don’t spend time alone with themselves and people who are not self-aware kind of icy. It’s very challenging for them to make it down I don’t know what I’m feeling. In that state of mind, it is very easy to feel different emotions with different people and not understand what emotion it is.
Sunny: For me also it’s a branch of what you just said, because for me personally, it’s very difficult to put across any insecurity aside. In your mind that insecurity is not real, but still between emotions and mind every time emotions win and you surrender yourself. So it becomes the struggle that you shouldn’t say this, you shouldn’t ask this questions- that who was that guy, because you know that the other person loves you and trust you that and then things start. And then I try to keep it in check but it is very natural to feel something. Nobody is a superhuman or nobody is a Saint. And with love, other negative emotions are going to come because that’s the whole beauty and the spectrum of it. But I have started over the years to realize this and to keep it in check that no this is your insecurity who is talking and not you, so you have to stay quiet now.
What was the craziest thing that you have done in love?
Radhika: I was in a long-distance relationship and it was my boyfriend‘s birthday and I was shooting like insanely at that time like 16 hours – 18 hours and I remember after my pack up I took a flight to Delhi at around 12-ish or 1-ish I reached at three in the morning. Just met him hugged him was waiting for an hour with him took a flight back again to Bombay reached 7-ish or 8-ish and went to the set directly. So I didn’t sleep for about 48 hours just to wish him and hug him and say happy birthday. This was something a year or two back.
Sunny: See mine I have got ditched into this Shiddat Walla love. When I was dating this girl and after some time passed away in our relationship, we had some disagreements, but in my mind, it was like this is all part and parcel of a relationship, this makes a relationship strong. Later she comes says I think we need a break for few days. And I was like okay fine sure you need your space, please take. How much ever break you need. So inside me, I was like I am such an understanding boyfriend like my girlfriend needs a break so I am giving her a break. Then two months passed 2 and a 1/2 months past and my friends were like bro this is not something like a break it is a breakup. She’s not going to come back. I was like no no, are you mad I am very understanding and all but then it was a breakup.
You also have scenes with Mohit Raina and Diana how was working with them?
Sunny: Mohit's character is somebody who becomes an integral part of Jaggi‘s journey and Jaggi himself. He is an absolute dream to work with. I had met Mhavet during Uri's party we didn’t have much interaction there. But I knew that Mohit was that tall, broad, and handsome as well so it was like oh my God. When we came on set he was so sweet, he was like a cow that good. Like the kids who are so well behaved in class and all. Whenever in the morning I used to go and call him’ Har, har Mahadev', and he was like oh stop it. But he’s so sweet and he’s such a co-good co-actor and he is such a good human being to be with or be around. He spreads such positivity, he is absolutely amazing to work with and Diana as well. There are not many scenes of mine with Diana but she’s also so beautiful onscreen and I think she has performed really well.
Radhika: Definitely like I didn’t have a lot of scenes with Mohit or Diana but when I met them I had just had a scene or two. Like Diana is so effortless and she’s done such a great job and Mohit is so intense so even if he tells a simple dialogue, that dialogue itself gains that power, it becomes so meaningful. So I think this shows how they are good in their craft and we are just lucky and blessed that we had them on board and it just makes the project more special and magical because of them.
Shiddat was made for theatres, is there a slight disappointment that it couldn’t release in theatres and it is releasing on OTT?
Sunny: No I don’t think there is any… I wouldn’t say that there is any disappointment, but yes it was made for theatres and we would have loved for the audience to go into theatres and experience this story. But at the same time, there is no disappointment that it’s not in theatres because OTT platforms and especially platforms like Hotstar is so big and it has a huge reach, and at the end of the day we have made the same for the audiences so that they can watch it. And going by the current times it’s a blessing in disguise not even in disguise but it is a blessing to be in the OTT platform.
Radhika: Oh I totally agree we are just happy that our work is coming out and at the end of the day we make films to entertain people and platforms really don’t matter. So we are just happy grateful, blessed that we are able to reach people with our film and we can just hope that they like it as much as we love shooting it.
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