Vishal Furia's Hindi remake of his successful Marathi film Lapachappi is all set to release in just a few hours. Titled Chhorii, the horror film is about Sakshi, an eight months pregnant woman, who relocates to a village for a few days with her husband. Nushrratt Bharuccha plays the lead role whereas Mita Vashisht essays a key character named Bhanno Devi.

Ahead of Chhorii's release on November 26, PeepingMoon got in touch with Mita, a veteran actor, who has done notable work in the entertainment industry over decades. In the exclusive conversation, the actress spoke about her character Bhanno Devi, her enigmatic personality and why there can be no comparison between Chhorii and Lapachappi.

Excerpts from the interview:

You have an enigmatic role in Chhorii. Can you tell a little more about her?

Yes, it is enigmatic for sure and I cannot tell you much about it. If you have seen the Marathi film, you will know what’s the character all about. This time, we have treated it differently. I play the role of Bhanno Devi. She is someone you cannot be sure of. She is exactly what you said, enigmatic. When Vishal and I talked about creating Bhanno Devi, I told him that I wanted her to be real but out of the ordinary. When you are doing horror, you don’t want to do obvious things. If you are walking into a deep forest as the sun is setting and you want to be in that forest to hide, but at the same time, you don’t know what lies for you in that place; Bhanno Devi is that forest. 

Horror is a tough genre to crack. How challenging was the execution of Chhorii?

I played the character the way it was written. What happens to the other characters around me creates fear. Horror is all about fear, something you don’t know. Once you know it, the horror goes away. My character Bhanno Devi behaves in a certain way because she feels it is right. Horror is a collective experience that comes from the filmmaker’s vision. All you can do is play the character in such a way that the audience feels uneasy. 

Chhorii is the remake of the Marathi film Lapachappi. Did you prepare for the role by watching the original film?

I watched Lapachappi in the last week of the shoot after wrapping most of my portions. I watched it out of a sense of curiosity. I knew both films cannot be the same because of the language differences. Language changes the feeling of anything. I did Swaabhimaan years ago, and when I saw the Bengali dubbed version, it sounded so different. I wanted to approach the character from a completely new space. 

Being a remake, there will be comparisons between Chhorii and Lapachappi. Do you feel it is unfair?

Comparisons can be made by those who understand both languages. I don’t think anyone has played the character in the same way. In Chhorii, everyone is different. In Lapachappi, the protagonist is a tall girl, whereas, in Chhorii, she is petite. Physically and geographically, the film looks different. The most exciting thing is the director is the same. Usually, when directors make their films in different languages, they just remake them. In this case, Vishal has transformed it.  

Horror films are best watched in theatres. Is the team planning to release Chhorii in theatres later?

That’s something the producers can only answer. Due to the pandemic, it is probably safer to stay at home and watch. 

Chhorii is clashing with Antim and Satyameva Jayate 2. Are you worried that the viewership of the film might be affected? 

I don’t think so. The viewership would be affected if the films belonged to the same genre. The audience is so intelligent today that they want to watch different things. If the audience watches Satyameva Jayate 2 on the first day and Antim on the second, they’ll come to Chhorii on the third day or vice-versa. 

Often horror films made in India are compared to those made in Hollywood. Do you feel the standard of horror films in India isn’t up to the mark? 

We should stop comparing with a completely different culture. My problem with Indian acting is the 'realism' in terms of performance. It is very Western. We talk loudly and use more gestures. When people are doing 'realism' in cinema, it is a Western idea. In every way, the West has a different philosophy. Even if we look at our Eastern theory of Karma, the West has started dealing with it now. As a child, I was taught- You reap what you sow. We believe in rebirths whereas Western people say there is only one life. We have a different way of looking at nature. Hence, the storytelling styles do differ. Maybe we are comparing because we haven’t looked at ourselves enough.