Lying does not come easy to Samridhi Dewan. That’s also a reason why she was excited to play the character of Maya Ahuja, someone who lies easily to get out of difficult situations in the new Web-series Good Bad Girl. The actor from shows such as The Office (2019) and Imperfect (2018-19) tells us more about her role and working with actor Gul Panag in the SonyLIV web show. Edited excerpts:
Your character Maya seems to be a habitual liar. What did you like about the character and the show?
There was just so much to bring to the part. It was challenging and exhilarating, so there was a lot to like. My hope is that when people watch the show, they understand why she is a habitual liar and they also feel empathy and reach a sense of understanding about why she is doing this.
Maya is a lawyer by profession, the premise she operates within is a grey area between truth and lies. Did the writing come to your rescue?
Usually when we get scripts, very often, they don’t come with a whole description of a show. We just get a small paragraph on what’s happening in the show and a few scenes. The first thing I noticed without knowing so much about the show was that it is so snappy and so witty. I feel the writers of the show have done a really good job — something that will stand out.
Have you ever lied to get out of difficult situations?
I’m sure I must have tried to but I feel I am not good at it! (Laughs) I would more often than not get caught — very unlike my character. That was another reason for doing the show because it’s not so much fun to play yourself. It’s always more fun to dig into a whole other personality.
You share the screen with a talented cast such as Gul Panag, Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Sheeba Chadha. How was it to work with them?
Everybody brings so much to the table. I think I have the most scenes with Vaibhav followed by Gul. Gul is multifaceted. She is a qualified lawyer and she would add so much input and value to the script. Vaibhav’s character Sahil and Maya are enemies but there are times when they also have each-others’ back. It’s fun to watch their banter.
You have done a few Web shows, in which the characters have been very different from each other. Is that a conscious choice so as to not get slotted?
Definitely. I have genuinely worked hard to play different parts. For instance, In The Office, I played a receptionist who stays in Faridabad and in Imperfect, I played a character who was a klutz and really awkward — so different from Maya.
You have been part of a couple of award-winning short films, including Kirnay Bhatt-directed Keep Punching (2020) and Surbhi Dewan-directed An Open Sky (2021). These works might not have been very mainstream but are they exciting for you as an actor?
They are very exciting for me. I don’t know if it helps in my career but it definitely adds to my skill. I did a film like Keep Punching for which I was given the training to box and it was a crazy experience. It was obviously very niche. I knew it would go to festivals and that a lot of people may not watch it but it would still be an experience for me, which it was. It was produced by Vikramaditya Motwane and had very talented people on the team. The other short film I did was An Open Sky, which I literally shot myself during the pandemic in a room. My cousin who is a documentary filmmaker (Surbhi Dewan) wrote it and Zoom-directed me on it. It was a very different experience and we never expected to get an award for it.
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