Sonal Jha has been active in the entertainment industry since 2006. From acting in acclaimed television shows such as Na Aana Is Des Laado and Balika Vadhu to playing powerful characters in films like Alankrita Shrivastava’s black comedy Lipstick Under My Burkha and Mangesh Hadawale directed romantic drama Malaal, Sonal Jha has carved her place with her acting skills and talent. Now, the actress can be seen in Rajeev Barnwal’s Jehanabad: Of Love And War and is eagerly looking forward to an eventful year with Made In Heaven Season 2, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, Kanu Behl’s directorial Agra and much more.
During an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Sonal Jha talked a bit about her role from the Ritwik Bhowmik and Satyadeep Misra starrer and if playing a Bihari character was a cakewalk for her since she originally belongs from that space. She explained, “No role is a cakewalk. However familiar you are with that character or that space, it’s always a challenge. Having said that, it was definitely easier compared to other actors who don’t belong to Bihar. But since I left Bihar 30 years back, the way I spoke in this series is not how I actually speak in real life. So I had to put in a little bit of effort. As far as my characterization is concerned, it’s not very complex or layered but it had a lot of authenticity and passion to it. In your family you meet people who are not very urban so I tried to take reference from them, like my bhabhi or my mother, and then I tried to incorporate some expressions, some tonality and some body language cues.”
Sonal will be seen next in Zoya Akhtar’s Made In Heaven Season 2 where she’ll feature in a complex segment helmed by Alankrita Shrivastava. Sharing some titbits about the same, the actress revealed, “My particular episode is all about same sex marriages and such relationships. My story revolves around three characters and I play the mother of one of them.”
As for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail that’ll be headlined by Vikrant Massey, Sonal disclosed, “The minute I heard it was a story by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, irrespective of the size of my role, I instantly said I’ll do it. I wanted to experience being part of his world. He is such a passionate, loving person and I really had a good time working with time. And 12th Fail is such an interesting story in itself.”
Kanu Behl penned the screenplay of Oye Lucky Lucky Oye! and directed Titli. Sonal was roped in for his next title Agra and it was the most difficult role for the actress. “It was the most difficult or demanding project I had worked in because the script was very complex and meticulous. Kanu is an intense and layered person himself so his stories are always very intricate and engaging. I am quite proud to be a part of this project and I can’t wait for it to be released and for people to see my work. It’s a beautiful film and a very important one for the present society as it talks about the kind of issues we are facing or the younger generation is going through. It’s about the sexuality of a young guy so it’s a very interesting subject,” she expressed.
Adding another feather to her cap, Sonal is also gearing up to take her play Mughal-E-Azam (musical) to the States. The Feroz Abbas Khan’s Broadway-style musical that made quite a noise during it’s run in Mumbai was an apt platform for Sonal to profess her love for theatre. Heaping praises on the same, she shared, “it has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Theatre is my first love. I started my career from it. When I got chosen for the role of Jodha Bai, Feroze Abbas Khan specifically told me that I don’t need to look at Durga Khote’s way of portraying the character. And that I have to do it my way and it has to look realistic.”
She further added, “In movies you do so much work and then you wait for 2-3 years. But with theatre and live performances, you perform and you get the audiences love and warmth. That is something that I really like about the whole excitement. And we just completed 40 shows. People absolutely love Mughal-e-Azam because we have live music, dance and dialogues. Since there are so many memories attached to Mughal-e-Azam that people end up mouthing those dialogues even before we actors say it on stage.”
Sonal Jha was also a popular face in the television industry. But she stepped away from that space after 2016. The actress disclosed what made her move away from such projects. She said, “Television was my starting point because I don’t come from a filmy background and I am not a trained actress. For me, I wanted to start acting so I started with theatre and television. After doing it for 7 years, I felt that I am not growing as an actor. My whole purpose behind coming into this industry was not to just earn money and make my name. My artistic learning was much stronger. It still is. For me creative satisfaction is always on the top.”
Emphasizing her love towards roles in Independent cinema, she continued, “That’s why I do a lot of Indie movies. I did Fire In The Mountain, Agra and recently shot for Achal Mishra’s film. I have a strong inclination towards non-commercial space. Perhaps that’s why television was something I wanted to experiment and learn also because I had never worked in front of the camera. And it gave me an identity so that people get to know who Sonal Jha is as well as assessing whether I wanted to be in this industry or not. Because I am quite an educated person. I’ve got two Masters. I left my job to see if I really wanted to do this. Though there were so many challenges, I still wanted to pursue it.”
On being asked what’s the most exciting medium has been for her as an actor since she has done movies, television, theatre and OTT, Sonal Jha answered, “If you would have asked me a year back, I would have said theatre but now OTT is attracting me. Because in any character, you get more screen space. There’s more scope to explore female characters. A lot of good female characters are coming up. Even though in Jehanabad I play mother’s role, it had some dimensions where I could show some of my acting skills. So OTT has scope for female characters and especially in my age group.”
Talking about the show that gave her unparalleled recognition, Na Aana Iss Des Lado, Sonal Jha reflected on her journey, “It was my second show and before that I had just done one show with Prakash Jha. For me, it was a big thing that I was playing an important character who had a regular track. The most challenging part was that I don’t come from Punjab or Haryana. So getting used to that dialect was tough. As for my role, I slowly understood that Sheela Chachi had a lot of silent strength. And that’s the thing people really liked about her. She’s not a very aggressive, violent person like Amma Ji. She might look weak and emancipated but when she had to fight for her daughter, she stood like a rock opposite Amma Ji. So that character arc was something even I liked as an artist,” she recalled.
She further said, “Working with Meghna Mallik and the team was really wonderful. And I made some really good friends with whom I connected even now. Since I was new to the industry, I would give credit to Na Aana Iss Des Laado to give me a platform where people stated noticing me. And after that I started getting good television projects as well. I didn’t had to struggle that much.”
Recollecting about the beginning of her acting career, Sonal Jha said, “It started when I came to Mumbai. I was in Bangalore. My husband got a job so we shifted to Mumbai in 2000. From 2004, I started doing theatre with Nadira Zaheer Babbar group Ek Jut because I was fiercely passionate but I had no contact or connection in the industry. I wanted to test myself whether I was cut for it. Because I used to do theatre when I was in my college in Bihar. So I hadn’t done anything for so many years. Then I started auditioning for few television shows. Then through a friend, I got to know about the project Prakash Jha was working on through a friend. And I had talked to him for 15-20 minutes after which he selected me. But after that it was difficult because once I started doing this, then people go more into the commercial setup.”
She concluded, “It was also difficult on a personal front because I had a small child and managing home, kids, family and doing television. At that time, we used to work for over 13 hours. Then commuting will take another 2-3 hours. So you can understand staying outside for 16 hours and then to look after your kids and manage your home and that was challenging emotionally I used to go through this guilt that I am not giving enough time to my kid. Something which every working women goes through. And producers didn’t use to give attention to my problems. If it was my problem then I had to resolve it myself. Because I had the support and I didn’t give up, I adjusted to the groove. It wasn’t a bread and butter thing for me since my husband was getting paid well. I didn’t quit. Because if I had quit, the kind of groundwork I had done couldn’t have materialzed again.”
Besides Made In Heaven 2, 12th Fail, Agra, Sunflower Season 2, Sonal Jha would also be seen in the thriller web series Murder in Mahim.
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