“Playing an iconic character written by Ismat Chugtai, is one off the bucket list!” – Sonal Sehgal

Flush with rave reviews on her performance in her new feature film “Lihaaf”, Sonal Sehgal is on cloud nine.

Co-produced by Academy Award Winner Marc Baschet (of ‘No Man’s Land’ Fame) “Lihaaf” is the screen adaptation of one of the most infamous works of Ismat Chugtai, which released on Voot last week. The story which has been touted as one of the best works of the 20^th century, has courted controversy ever since it was first published in 1944.

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So how did Sonal approach the subject? “It has been a dream come true to play a character written by Ismat Chugtai. I play ‘Begum Jaan’, which I feel is one of the most layered characters written by the author. It is an extremely difficult character for an actor to bring on screen because you need to be able to elicit sympathy for her and at the same time her actions fill you with rage. She is both a victim of her circumstances and a perpetrator of a crime. Ismat Chugtai has so beautifully crafted the nuances of this character. I was really nervous and unsure about my performance until the film released. But now that I see the appreciation pouring in from critics and audience alike, I feel quite elated.”

We further ask her about her preparation for the part. “Getting into the skin of the character was very hard. When we shot this film we were living in a “social heaven” – always surrounded by friends and family, everything was an “event”, if not meeting people physically, always interacting with them online – unlike the Covid world we are in now! Begum is someone who is trapped in a golden cage living in a loveless marriage, cut off from the world, even her own family. I had to really work on being able to feel her loneliness. I requested the entire cast and crew to literally “leave me alone”. I wouldn’t join anyone for breakfast in the hotel. I had it in my room. I used to leave my mobile phone switched off for the entire day. I wouldn’t interact with anyone between shots unless it was for purely professional reasons. I had to really cut myself off from everyone to be able to feel the Begum’s pain.”

Sonal Sehgal debuted on the silver screen with Nagesh Kuknoor’s critically acclaimed ‘Aashayein’ opposite John Abraham. A decade later, Sonal is awaiting the release of her Indo-Latvian film ‘Manny’, which is her debut production and where she also plays the lead role.

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