‘Aarya 2 helped me recover from Covid,’ says Dilnaz Irani

Dilnaz Irani/PR image

Dilnaz Irani who has done, theatre, TV and films has joined the cast of Sushmita Sen's web series Aarya 2. The ‘The Vagina Monologues' actress plays a public prosecutor in the show and speaks to mid-day.com about her prep, the OTT boom and more.

How were you cast for Aarya 2?

I was called to audition for one of the roles by Abhimanyu Ray and his team. I remember watching Aarya 1 and thought I'd love to act in something like that. The next year I got a call to audition for it. It was a long process and I didn't hear from them for a while, I was waiting in anticipation. I got Covid last year because of which other work got cancelled so I was upset and low! Just when I was down in the dumps I got a call that I'm selected. My recovery went to another level I was so excited so Aarya 2 helped me recover from Covid because it made me mentally excited. Ram Madhvani is someone whose work I had been following because I started with theatre and was part of I'm not Bajirao. After that Boman (Irani) did Let's Talk with him so we had all gone to watch it together. I had also heard about his style of shooting from friends so I was really excited.

How did you prepare for your role as a public prosecutor?

As soon as I found out about my role I started doing homework, which is something I love doing. The process is so much more interesting than the final product. There's a friend's friend who is a lawyer so I tailgated him for a couple of days. I thought I can go to the High court but because of Covid restrictions I had to go with another lawyer after taking permission. Sadly I noticed most of the people were men. I started talking to a female lawyer and she would talk about how she needed to prove herself as not just a good lawyer but a woman lawyer. A lot of women study law but later move to business because of the hours and people one interacts with and working conditions. I noticed her body language was aggressive, even when we went to a chai stall she would walk on the outside, like men usually do. I noticed how she would emulate what is considered masculine behavior. I'm glad I took a female perspective. I read books like India Calling The Memories of Cornelia Sorabji, On Balance by Leila Seth. Then there were workshops with Sushmita Sen and Vikas Kumar because most of my scenes were with them. Ram was clear he didn't want me to act but be in the situation and then he throws these googlies like introducing a new character who was not supposed to be there or something like that.

How is Sushmita as a co-star?

Sushmita was Aarya, she walks into a space and owns it. The strength and confidence, warmth and encouragement. I've not seen a co-actor who is that encouraging. Before each scene we do an improv and before anyone else it's Sushmita telling you how lovely you were. It's so encouraging. She was so welcoming she didn't make me feel like I'm new. The first workshop was online and in five minutes it felt like I've known her for ages.

Do you feel the OTT boom has changed the game in terms of better roles for women since films tend to be all about box office numbers at the end of the day and are still male dominated…

When I saw Aarya 1 and wasn't even associated with the project then, ofcourse there was the star Sushmita but even other characters were so beautifully crafted. Earlier it was about star power now it's about ensemble. It will take a lot of time to have equal pay. I didn't feel it in Aarya but I've done other projects where I felt that discrimination. It will take time but we will get there.

The show had also been nominated for the Emmys…

More than exciting it was pressurizing that this is where Aarya 1 went will we be able to do justice to season 2? One has to keep up the standard and go beyond it. Next year we will win the Emmy!

Did having a theatre background shape your career differently and is it something you recommend to every actor?

I have done around 50 different productions. The Vagina Monologues that I was part of did some thousand-two thousand shows. You get just one take in theatre so you get the ease to get into a character and live it. We are used to rehearsing for months depending on play to play. That discipline and doing homework comes from my theatre background. I recommend it to people who really want to learn. There are a lot of people who do a play just to say that they have done theatre at auditions. Doing one play doesn't make you a theatre actor because then the purpose is lost.

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