'Women In Paatal Lok Rarely Cry'

'No woman is stronger than one who acknowledges her vulnerabilities.'

The incredibly talented Tillotama Shome takes up an unusual role of a police officer from the North East in the Web series, Paatal Lok 2.

"In this project, I realised I lack a sense of pride about where I live. In Nagaland, the people I met, especially the young, were so political and bursting with a sense of pride about their land," Tillotama tells Subhash K Jha.

What made you decide to be part of Paatal Lok's Season 2?

It was fairly easy to make a decision to play the cop Meghna Barua a few minutes into reading the script by Sudip Sharma.

The script was so dense and there were so many threads. It was exhilarating to see how each thread got woven into the other.

Besides, I am a fan of Season 1 and it was a dream to be asked to join a team that I had heard only good things about.

From Avinash Arun, the director and cinematographer, to Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor's music, this is a dream team.

What makes Paatal Lok stand apart from the other series on OTT?

I can only share something about the process of Paatal Lok that set it apart for me.

The writer Sudip Sharma had got Anungla, a cultural researcher on board.

He had given her the power to say no to anything in the frame that is an incorrect or insensitive portrayal of Nagaland, to avoid any cultural appropriation.

So Anungla not only taught me Nagamese but was present every day, right at the monitor, watching everything.

I was amazed by this. Process is key.

Do you enjoy the challenge of discovering new versions of yourself each time you accept a project?

Yes, I do, and the unfamiliar bits of me, surprise me each time -- some in a nice way and some in a not so nice way.

In this project, I realised I lack a sense of pride about where I live.

In Nagaland, the people I met, especially the young, were so political and bursting with a sense of pride about their land.

Do you prefer playing strong women to the vulnerable ones? I ask as you have played both.

No woman is stronger than one who acknowledges her vulnerabilities. The absence of vulnerability in the 'strong' is the kind of myth-building that will only lead to an explosion.

All of us are a mixture of strength and weakness, a complex character exploits both to eviscerate the human condition.

It is interesting how the women in Paatal Lok rarely cry, there is a shift in their portrayal that I loved interpreting as an actor.

The skilled Jaideep Ahlawat is your co-star. Is that an impetus for a more dedicated performance?

It is an invitation to have a great time on set when you have an actor of Jaideep's calibre.

The dedication comes from one's own love and hunger for the craft and to repay the makers' trust in you.

Looking back, what were the landmark happenings in your life in the past year?

I turned producer for a very special film called Shadowbox/Baksho Bondi, directed by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi.

It is my first as an actor-producer and has been the biggest learning curve of this year.

A very, very, humbling process. In fact, I went to the shooting of this film right after Paatal Lok.

The joy and love I got on Paatal Lok really set me up for this precious film.