Megha Chakraborty Interview: The first thing I did after bagging ‘Peshwa Bajirao’ was to watch ‘Bajirao Mastani’!

After playing some upbeat and vivacious characters in Bengali and Hindi shows, beautiful actress Megha Chakraborty is now being seen in Sony Entertainment Television’s historical show, Peshwa Bajirao, as Mastani, a character quite different from the characters she often plays on screen. Megha sits down with our entertainment reporter, Mohnish Singh, to answer questions about her career, how she landed the role of Mastani, and much more. Check out an excerpt below.

Q. Tell us something about your character which you are playing in the show.

A. I am playing Mastani in Peshwa Bajirao. I don’t think I need to tell much about Mastani because whoever did not know about her earlier, know everything about her now thanks to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Bajirao Mastani. Mastani is fearless. She is strong. She does horse-riding and sword fighting. She knows a lot about politics. Except for her father and mother, no one really likes her in the family. But she is always concerned about her family. She is really strong from within.

Q. How did you bag the role?

A. I appeared for an audition. The very next day I got a call from their team regarding a mock shoot. But it got canceled as Karan, who plays Bajirao in the show, was not available that day. The next day they called me to their office where they made me sign a contract. I could not believe that I was finalized for the role. To be double sure, I just asked them if they would not replace me later. They said, ‘No, you are in for the role.’

Q. How did your career begin in the field of entertainment?

A. I am from Kolkata. I had no plans of making a career in this field. I had just completed my graduation when one of my friends, who is a cinematographer, told me about an audition where they were looking for an actress for an episodic Bengali show. I went there and got selected. Then I got a call for another Bengali show. I got through that audition as well.

By and by, I started enjoying acting. I did a small-budgeted film also. I would love the energy and vibrancy on the sets. Over the period of time, my acting skills also improved and I decided to stick to this profession forever.

Q. I When did you decide to move to Mumbai?

A. I was in Kolkata when a team from Shashi Sumeet Productions went there to conduct a recce for their new show, Badii Devrani. They called me up for an audition. Though they liked the audition, they found that my Hindi was not up to the mark. I promised them to work on the language. They said ‘Ok, we will let you know.’ Then they went back to Mumbai.

After 4-5 days, they called me up in one afternoon and said that they wanted me to reach Mumbai from an evening flight. When I came to Mumbai, I signed my contract with them for Badii Devrani. So, this is how I bagged my first Hindi show and my journey began in the maximum city Mumbai.

Q. What kind of preparation you did for the role of Mastani?

A. I did not have much time on hand to prepare a lot for the character as I was supposed to start shooting for the show almost immediately. So, the first thing which I did after being finalized was to watch the film, Bajirao Mastani. The film helped me understand the world of Mastani, her family and what all she went through in her personal life.

Q. Did you learn sword-fighting and horse riding?

A. Yes, of course, I did. That is something very integral part of Mastani’s character. I am still learning horse-riding. If the truth is to be told, I am bit scared as I feel I might fall. But I do practise whenever I get time.