MUMBAI: Sonal Panvar, who plays the role of Malaika in Binaiferr and Sanjay Kohli’s Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, which is produced under their banner Edit II, believes actors have a responsibility towards the audience—not just in terms of entertainment but also to inculcate good habits in them. She stresses that an actor needs to maintain a balance between the reel character and real self to connect with the audience.
She said, “As actors, we definitely connect with the emotions of our characters. I play Malaika, and I relate to her a lot too. But I think the technique is that you need to be at least 70% into the character and 30% yourself. Only then can it truly connect with the audience. Yes, it’s a blessing when viewers try to imitate you in real life. But I hope they only copy good qualities. I don’t like the idea of them imitating villains or bad behavior.”
“Luckily, I feel today’s audience is smart, and they know what’s right and wrong. I feel happy when people imitate good things like a character’s dance or something nice, but there’s always that pressure. You have to be careful and choose what not to do so that people don’t copy something wrong. The pressure can get high because you don’t want to do anything that sets a bad example,” she added.
And while the industry thrives on validation and visibility, Sonal has developed a healthy relationship with social media too. She said, “Appreciation is definitely important. It helps you do better in life. As for social media, honestly, I don’t take it very seriously. I have to remind myself to post something on Instagram because it’s part of my profession, but otherwise, I don’t think much about it. Negative comments don’t really affect me anymore. I think people have learned to ignore them. Social media trolling is just a waste of time.”
Her advice? “If you’re reading comments under your own picture, you’re only wasting your time. It’s better to focus on your work and not bother about comments. Social media is just a tool to promote your work; it's not something where people should personally judge you,” she said.
But her family is with her in the highs and lows and is happy seeing her happy. She said, “They’re simple people, and they’re just happy that I’m doing a job I love. They don’t go around saying, ‘Oh wow, our daughter is doing this or that.’ They’re happy and content that I’m happy.”
As for what’s coming next in Malaika’s journey? “You might see me falling in love! I think that’s going to be a big moment,” Sonal ended.
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