French Biriyani will remain a special film for me: Disha Madan

The coronavirus lockdown has not kept Disha Madan away from the camera. The actor, who has been uploading video compilations on her social media handles, has even taken the responsibility of saying ‘action’ and ‘cut’. “There is this creative side to me that I had always wanted to nurture, and the lockdown has allowed me to explore that area. I was off social media last year, and I wanted to come back with some videos that people can relate to. As of now, I am coming up with motherhood-related stuff. This is easy because I sit and think of what all my mother did in college, and multiply it by 100, and make it more intense. It seems to work well,” says Disha, whose upcoming film, French Biriyani, will be out on Amazon Prime Video on July 24.

The film, bankrolled by PRK Productions and directed by Pannaga Bharana, features her alongside Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf, and Rangayana Raghu, among others. Disha, who has made the transition from TV to cinema, is all excited to make her debut with French Biriyani. “It was fun working on a no-brainer script, with nothing much to think about. The film has Danny (Danish Sait), who is a good friend, and then there is Panna (Pannaga Bharana), and they made me pick up this project,” says Disha. “I did get a lot of opportunities while I was working in TV serials, but I never felt that I was getting the right script, or that it was the right time. Being a Bharatanatyam dancer, I had zero experience in acting when I began, and the serial space was where I honed my skills. It was a great learning experience. However, I had to quit the serial a year and a half later because of my personal life. I never expected to get married or have a baby that early, it all escalated so fast, which I don’t regret,” she adds.

Disha feels that she is more inclined towards humour-based characters. “I don’t see a lot of women doing comedy these days, and even if they do, you don’t see them much on the big screen. They have stuck to social media and OTT platforms. In Kannada films, nothing much happens in the comedy scenario, especially from the female characters. Considering all this, I was interested in doing roles that will show the comic side of me. In French Biryani, the whole point of working with Danny was to bring the best out of me through him. He encourages you to do well on screen, and so does Panna. I feel there is a lot of serious cinema happening now, but once in a while, you want to do something fun.”

However, she is aware that limiting oneself to comedy won’t take an actor far. “You can’t just be a comedian or a contemporary actor. An artiste should do everything under the umbrella. If my forte is a comedy, that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything else. But having your strengths in a niche area like comedy works wonders for an actor,” she opines. Ask her if she will never run around trees, and she chuckles, “Probably, if a good script comes my way, I will do it, if it has some comedy elements too.”

Throwing some light on her news reporter role in French Biriyani, Disha reveals that she shot it during her initial stages of pregnancy. “I called up Panna, and explained it to him. But he was very clear and insisted that I play the part. I tried completing the entire shoot before my bump showed up. This was a secret mission between Panna and me, and only a handful of people knew that I was expecting a baby. That way, it is a very special film,” says Disha, adding, “I was lucky not to have morning sickness, though I once threw up in my caravan. But no one knew what was happening. In a way, shooting for French Biriyani kept me physically active, which I needed during pregnancy.”

Disha will next be seen in a web series titled Hate You Romeo, and again with Danish Sait in the Humble Politician Nograj sequel series, which will stream on an OTT platform. With all her three projects slated for a digital release, Disha’s silver screen dream is yet to become a reality. But she is not too concerned. “These projects that I am part of are quite enormous. Moreover, Amazon Prime is no less of a big platform when compared to theatres. I am sure to miss the buzz of watching my film in theatres, but considering the situation, I am just going to make do with fans enjoying them in the comfort of their homes,” she says, adding, “I am an actor who loves to entertain. In the end, I want to bring smiles on people’s faces.”