Surveen Chawla has been receiving rave reviews for her performance in the recently released Criminal Justice: A Family Matter, the fourth season of the show, despite the presence of an ensemble cast of Pankaj Tripathi, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Asha Negi, Shweta Basu Prasad, among others. She got talking about the show and her career in an interview with us.
Surveen Chawla on her character in Criminal Justice: A Family Matter, “There’s nobody clearer than Anju as to what she’s doing and what her aim is”
That’s two more knock-out performances in Criminal Justice and Rana Naidu. Don’t you feel underrated?
Well, to answer your question, I think, I personally think, underrated, no. Most definitely not. I don’t think I’m underrated at all, because you know, my plethora of work speaks for itself, I would say that. And I think makers come to me with roles which they think I can do justice to, and they come to me that says a lot of the faith they have in me, and I wouldn’t like to take that away from, whether it’s writers or directors or makers, who come to me with roles like that. So, no, I wouldn’t say underrated.
But those who have followed you career like me feel your potential is not realized?
I think it’s best for viewers and audiences and the industry to decide what they think and what they feel. I’m only actually here to do justice and bring to the table what I think I do, and I’m pretty confident about what I bring to the table.
I feel you are not underrated but also underused
Underused, most definitely yes. I think more challenging work needs to come to me, and filmmakers need to think about me more often than they do, and this is not the makers that I work with, because they come back to me again and again. I think as long as my work ethics and my work that I do sort of speaks for itself… and I’ve actually never really relied on anything else other than my work. I’m generally not the sort to kind of put myself out there or go to parties, and maybe that could be the reason, because that’s not my style of networking.
Nonetheless, are you able to get the work that satisfies you?
I’ve always based my career path and career choices on the work that I have already done, and I think in my experience, my work brings me the work that I do. Apart from that, yes, I would also add to that is something that I am here to not just experiment, but I feel like more challenging work, like I mentioned before, can come to me, and more work can come to me. If today, makers don’t just look at the number of influencers that are out there, because I think it’s a very personal choice to put yourself out there in social media today.
The social media seems to have fostered a breed of weird stars
The social media today should not and cannot define your worth or your talent as an actor, and I think somewhere I feel that has become the basis of casting; mostly number of followers you have, what is your engagement on social media, how active you are, and this is something that you constantly hear, and I don’t think it’s fair to do that.
Popularity on social media seems to be a criteria for getting work in the entertainment industry
I think casting as a job should be based on the fact that okay, you know what, anybody who can act, it doesn’t matter, you could be just an actor, you could be anybody, you could be an influencer, but as long as you can act, I think you should be cast, and if you do justice to a part. But just basing casting on the fact that, you know, what is the number of followers your Instagram page is showing or what are the likes that you are getting, I think is a bit unfair.
I get the feeling you are very picky
Like I said, it’s not me who’s very picky. I mean, I think over the years I’ve learnt what I want to say no to, and that has been my biggest learning being in the industry, you know. It’s important to know what you’re saying yes to and have faith in it. But it’s also important to say no to the work that you don’t kind of resonate with, and that no becomes very important. Maybe I have the privilege that I can do that. It could be that, but it’s not because I’m picky. Yes, I do pick roles that are challenging to me personally as an actor, but I won’t say that I’m overtly picky about what I choose, but I definitely do know what I don’t want to be a part of.
Perhaps we can see more of you in the coming times?
I think the more good parts that come to me, I think you’ll see me more because I’m really up for the challenge.
I’m not so much of a method actor. I do my prep and my prep is a very light and very internal dialogue prep. It’s not so much on the outside as it is on the inside. I don’t come from any drama school or I don’t have that degree with me to say that I learned acting in a formal kind of institute. So, with experience and with doing your craft and going out there again and again and over and over again, I feel like you create your own kind of internal ecosystem where I honestly don’t have a real method, which I kind of work on when I’m taking up a part. I’m a very instinctive and a very spontaneous actor and all that I like to do is go over my script again and again and again and again to really internalize a part.
Your character in Criminal Justice is a bundle of contradictions
As far as my character Anju in Criminal Justice is concerned, I think she is complex, yes, but contradictory, no. I mean, you’ve seen the show, right? I think there’s nobody more clear than Anju as to what she’s doing and what her aim is. So, I think I can’t divulge more details on why there are no contradictions. But yeah, I mean, it’s not any different from how I played, let’s say, Shruti Iyer in Decoupled because it’s just about how I feel in that moment and take from my own life experiences or pull out in that moment of grief, of joy, of pain or of complexity from my own life.
I mean, I like to draw that from my own life experiences, so to speak. So yeah, I think it’s a very internal process and I can’t kind of label it or tag it or name what my process is. But yeah, I think a lot of it comes from personal experiences or personal life or just life and what you see around you and, you know, observing people and not really getting into the methodology of what’s on paper.
What next?
After Criminal Justice which has been so well received, now there’s Rana Naidu Season 2 on Netflix. Then there’s Mandala Murders, which is a Yash Raj production on Netflix again. And then there’s Andhera, which is excellent locomotive on Amazon. So, it’s a great line-up. I’m very, very excited and very thrilled.
Also Read: Surveen Chawla suffers major back injury amid promotions for Criminal Justice 4 and Rana Naidu 2
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