Nailing the look of their character is of prime importance for actors today. They are ready to go the extra mile even if this process is challenging. Television actress Arina Dey, too, is on a journey on her show Barrister Babu where she plays a widow. Shedding more light on her character, Arina reveals, “I am playing the character of Sumati, who is a widow. She has an 8-year-old daughter called ‘Bondita’ towards whom she is extremely protective. Given the fact that she is a widow, Sumati has had a tough life. In earlier days, being a widow was hard and harsh, people treated them like they were not important. My character portrays that reality, where all rights were taken away from her as she and even her hair was shaved, and she had to become bald.”
To get into the bald look, Arina has to wear prosthetics, a process which she says is not easy. She shares, “It takes me two hours to put on the prosthetic to get into my character, and one hour to remove it. The process is extremely challenging and takes a lot of patience to follow.” However, Arina believes that the road to success is always challenging and that being an actor requires her to get into the skin of the character she plays. She now only hopes that the audience will appreciate the hard work that she has put into playing this character. She says, “The main thing I want is to know what the audience will think of me without hair or make-up in a completely de-glam look,” as she signs off.
The show Barrister Babu is set in the pre-independence era. It takes us on a journey with little Bondita, who questions the stereotypes against women during that time. While Bondita questions these old traditions and stereotypes, unwittingly, she falls prey to them. She, along with her husband Anirudh who becomes her mentor, fight these stereotypes. He sets out to make an example of her and vows to make her a Barrister Babu.
To witness this uncommon yet life-affirming story of Anirudh and Bondita, tune in to Colors every Monday- Friday, 8.30 pm.
