EXCLUSIVE: She cast Aaditi Pohankar, Vishwas Kini & Kishore Kumar G on carrying Imtiaz Ali's vision in S2

After a riveting season one, Imtiaz Ali and Arif Ali's Netflix drama She is returning this week for its second season. Starring Aaditi Pohankar, Vishwas Kini and Kishore Kumar G among others, the drama is set to to hit the streaming platform on 17 June. Created by Imtiaz Ali and directed by his brother Arif Ali, the drama sees a timid constable Bhumi Pardeshi, played by Aaditi Pohankar, coming to terms with her sexuality during undercover operations in a sinister world. 

Pinkvilla sat down for a candid chat with Aaditi Pohankar, Vishwas Kini and Kishore Kumar G - actors who play pivotal roles in the thriller drama. Here are some excerpts from the interview. 

To Aaditi: How fulfilling has your journey from She season one to two been? 

Aaditi: As an actor, I don't think 'fulfilling' the word suffices any areas of an actor's life. The more I'm going ahead, the more I want to perform. I had to stop myself after a certain point. I always wanted to do one more take. It was an extremely distinct journey for me as Aditi. Bhumi's character has affected me quite a bit. I loved Bhumi and I like her for who she is. As an audience, I also see Bhumi from an outside perspective. When I look at her, I relate to her. I like her courage and spontaneity, She's cold but she's moving forward in life. When you look at her body language, her shoulders dropping, one might feel she's carrying baggage. But she is actually just surviving. That's one thing that I've really liked about Bhumi and learned from her. 

In the second season, there's more that will happen. There's a twist in every episode. How does she react then? She isn't a mastermind, just a normal constable. That's what intrigued me a lot in the second season. 

Bhumi's character wrestles between duty and desire. What did you tap into to play this dual personality?

Aaditi: I'm very different to what Bhumi is. But yes, there are some elements in Bhumi which are present in everyone. I tapped into those elements rather. Dutybound? Yes, that I am.  

To be manipulative with the truth and lies, that's something I had to really struggle with to tap into. It's a very complicated emotion and a complex side to human. It exhausts you. And many times, you wonder am I becoming this person? Because, you also start to enjoy it. When your shooting, the whole word shuts for you. I started living this life at one point. I had to pull myself out of it. I dabbled into many humane emotions because she has so many layers. 

To Vishwas: You're a cop in a gritty drama. What did you do to bring the character to life? 

Vishwas: Preparation - that's one of the most important things. If you know what you're doing in a scene, then only you can have pleasure while doing it. Otherwise, you are constantly figuring out what to do. I feel like if you get a sense of who you are as a character  and what you are doing in a scene during prep, performing bit gets adventurous. You can play around and have fun while your performing. 

To Kishore Kumar G: After so many years in front of the camera, what excites you the most?

Kishore: The complexity of the character excites us. That is why we are actors, otherwise we would be doing some other jobs. Every character is different, every character is complex. The more complex it is, more exciting it gets. And Imtiaz Ali's writing and his characters have always been complex and have different layers. In this, he has explored a different fold altogether. A darker side to the characters. As we go deeper into that darker side, it gets more exciting. That's what we all felt. 

How difficult or easy it is to carry Imtiaz Ali's vision and translate it on camera? 

Vishwas: When you go through the script, you feel like this is going to be a huge mountain to climb. But when you realise, that Imtiaz sir is climbing it with you, then the journey becomes very exciting. Suddenly from being scared about it to being excited, that's what I personally went through. The way he takes you in, explains it to you, the way he finds things in you that are required for the character, all of that is reassuring. Both he and Arif (Ali) sir are great to work with. 

Aaditi: His (Imtiaz Ali) absence is his presence in the script. Because he is present in thought, for me, because I have worked very closely with him. It's his understanding of how Bhumi is.  It was a beautiful journey because I used to think he is Imtiaz Sir and was nervous about asking him questions. Phir socha 'Bindaas puch lete hai, aage ka dekh lenge'. He would look at me and think 'Take it easy, take it easy'. He's an actor's director and I'm a director's actor so it works hand in glove. I have a certain idea about Bhumi and he had a certain idea, and we both came to a point where it felt like Bhumi had come alive. I think that is the fun part. Extremely liberal, moldable, he has let me go my way with Bhumi 

Kishore: Everyone makes you so comfortable during the readings and during the shoot. Finally, it is the whole team that brings the writer-director's vision to life. Mainly for me, it was the comfort from there that has translated to my work on screen. 

Created by Imtiaz Ali and directed by Arif Ali, She Season 2 will be releasing on 17 June. 

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