Netflix’s latest original series Leila directed by Deepa Mehta seems to be getting mixed reviews owing to the concept having its own political overtones.
Dancer turned actress Vidhi Chitalia who plays the role of the Nanny (Sapna) to the little girl Leila feels that Leila has been a good journey for her, wherein she got to learn a lot.
Says Vidhi, “Leila is my first ever break. It was really nice working with International Directors. The kind of professionalism that Deepa Mehta Mam brings to the set cannot be compared to anyone else. There was a lot to learn and explore. As an actor, it will be a never-ending process of learning is what I believe.”
On her character Sapna, she states, “Honestly, in Season 1, the story has not explored Sapna’s life as much. On screen, she is the Nanny to Shalini’s (Huma Qureshi) daughter. By the end we get to reveal that the daughter is being protected by her own Nanny. The journey of those two years wherein the abduction happened, to the point where Leila came back to her, was not seen much on screen. That kind of a transformation is hard to say, as the life of Sapna has not been explored.”
“I personally feel that the character has not come across well in its execution as it was mentioned on paper. There were few scenes shot of Leila and Sapna’s closeness, which was I guess chopped off. Having said this, it does not mean that I am not happy about what we got. I am excited and happy with the outcome. I only want to convey that the character has not been explored much as of now.”
On the response she has heard for Leila, Vidhi accepts, “We are getting a mixed response. I think people in Mumbai have more or less liked it, but in places like Delhi, people are not much appreciating the fact that the series talks about Hinduism too much.”
Vidhi has been into acting since three years. A trained dancer in Bharatanatyam, Vidi wanted to make it big as a choreographer. But when things did not work out, she wanted to try her hand in acting. “As a dancer, I used to train the big artists from TV and movies. I used to feel then that when they can do it, I can also do it. There were so many who could not dance and act, but they were confident about themselves. That was when I decided to do couple of workshops. Later I landed into acting.”
Vidhi is part of Sharman Joshi’s team when it comes to theater.
“This Netflix series has been a big break for me. Now my plans are to be here forever. I am looking out for good quality projects. I am presently working on Sharman’s new play,” she states before signing off.
Wish you luck, Vidhi!!
