Having proved her mettle as an actor with films
like ‘Soni’ and ‘Thappad,’ the faerect that Geetika Vidya has already carved a
unique space for her in Bollywood does not leave any scope for debate. She is
all set to charm the audience with another spellbinding performance in her
upcoming film, ‘Barah By Barah’. The feature has all the ingredients for
winning accolades for the country in International Film Festivals.
The gorgeous Geetika got an opportunity to work
with versatile actress Deepti Naval in the MX Player original series 'Pavan
& Pooja'. Both Deepti and Geetika have made a transition from theater to
cinema and are outsiders who have made a mark for themselves without the support
of any godfather.
There are numerous other things which the two
powerhouse actresses have in common with one another. The simplicity and
effortlessness with which Deepti and Geetika bring their characters alive is
incredible. This is one quality which helps them endear themselves to the
audience. During the 70s and 80s,
Deepti Naval was the face of the then emerging parallel cinema and Geetika,
with her offbeat choice of roles, is soon becoming a force to reckon with in
the new-age cinema wave of today.
Geetika Vidya says "During our first
interaction in her beautifully lit make up van, I observed the attention she
paid to the detailing of the fabric being used for Pooja (her character in the
webseries). I got reminded of my stage sensibility that an actor’s awareness and sense of
self-worth gives a believable and dignified life to a character written on
paper. Efficient department heads and a sensible production house are blessings
that us theater actors literally pray.”
Pavan & Pooja started streaming a while back
and is being talked about even now. In the show, Geetika and Deepti are seen
alongside an array of other talented actors like Mahesh Manjrekar, Sharman
Joshi, Gul Panag, Mrinal Dutt, Natasha Bharadwaj and supermodel Mariette Walson
. The show had been helmed by the best names in business - Siddharth P
Malhotra, Shaad Ali and Ajay Bhuyan.
Well, their similarities do not end here. Besides
the fact that both (Deepti and Geetika) had stepped into the industry without
taking an acting course, their method of preparation is also strikingly
similar. Just like Deepti Naval’s
realistic portrayal of her middle-class character in Chasme Badoor Geetika’s
portrayal of a middle class sub inspector had left an unforgettable mark on the
audience’s psyche. Geetika's debut film Soni, immediately reminds
cinephiles of the kind of films Deepti
Naval was majorly seen in. The parallel cinema of the 70s
and 80s had a keen eye on the socio-political climate of
their times. Some of them rejected the mainstream cinema styles of song and
music. Since Ohlyan’s first lead role had no song or background music, to make
the actor’s work easy, one can see a seriousness and depth to her acting.
Seeing her alongside Deepti Naval breeds an unavoidable wish of seeing Geetika
in substantial stories like those of the Indian Cinema of Ray, Ghatak, Mrinal
Sen and likes. One just cannot deny the fact that, besides Deepti Naval,
Ohlyan’s approach towards her roles also reminds us of the legendary actresses
like the late Smita Patil and the superlative Shabana Azmi.
