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.
