2021 has been a good year for Sahher Bambba. The actor was first seen as Mahum Begum, wife of Babur in The Empire, and later on she did an author backed role in Dil Bekaraar, playing a English speaking newsreader on DD News. Both her performances were really appreciated. Talking to News18.com, Bambba, who made her debut in the 2019 film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, talks about how the film’s failure was a learning experience, taking the risk of playing a mother in The Empire at such a young age and why she wants to be a part of some interesting stories irrespective of the medium.
The industry is known for typecasting actors but you still went ahead and played a mother in The Empire at such a young age. What made you take the risk?
I was the last person to get cast for the series. And it’s not like I got time to read the script, or to understand what my character was all about. But I always wanted to be a part of a period drama, and I always wanted to collaborate with Mitakshara Kumar and Emmay Entertainment. I was also getting to work with some amazing actors like Shabana Azmi, Dino Morea, Kunal Kapoor and others. I remember the first time I met Nikkhil sir (Nikkhil Advani) he told me that you also have to play a mother but it just never hit me. Strangely, so I never even asked him that I will be showing me aged or hair and makeup will be different. I was just very excited to be a part of that world. In fact, much later after the show was released, people told me that I shouldn’t have played a mother. But I never look at it like that. For me a role is more important than anything else. I am very secure as an actor. I am young and new and I feel I can take the risk of pulling off some different characters.
And then came Dil Bekaraar. How did that happen?
So when I was approached for the role I knew that it’s an adaptation of the 2013 novel Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan. I knew the book had a great fan following. In fact during the lockdown, my sister was also reading the book and little did I know, I would be a part of it. I have seen Habib Faisal’s work and I have really liked it. Also, I always wanted to do a strong author based on character. I was just very kicked about the idea when I told my family and friends, the people who read the book, they were very excited and seeing their excitement. I was like, okay, great, because I hadn’t read the book till then. And it just got reinforced when people came and told me that they were very excited that I was a part of that project.
Do you want to balance it out between films and OTT?
The lines have blurred thanks to the pandemic. People want to watch good content irrespective of the platform. It can be on OTT or theaters. I have been lucky that I got to be a part of two amazing shows. I think the cinema doesn’t have any medium. So any opportunity or anything which is exciting, I will definitely do it.
You made your debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which didn’t really perform well. Did you ever have second thoughts about how to take your career ahead?
The film didn’t do well and that was the biggest lesson that I learnt that every Friday in this industry is going to be different And sometimes it’s unfortunate that even if you have performed decently well, that just gets overshadowed with the failure of a film. And that was something that I learned after Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. And of course, there were thoughts like, Okay, what next, like, how do I go about our thoughts? I was also thinking whether I will even get a second chance, but luckily, the reviewers and the audience appreciated my performance. It is because of all this positive appreciation that got me a lot of meetings with directors and it got me The Empire.
Do you feel redeemed after The Empire and then Dil Bekaraar?
I am not sure about being redeemed but I am really happy that my patience has paid off. I came here to study and simultaneously find some work by doing acting workshops and giving auditions. But amidst all this, the Fresh Face contest happened and also the auditions for Pal Pal Dil Ke Pass, so I have been lucky that way. I am blessed to be a part of this industry. I am in a happy phase, but definitely not satisfied yet. And I don’t ever want that satisfaction to kick in, because I just feel if that happens then I will become complacent and I don’t want that to happen. I just want to be very sure of what I pick up next. Because I just want to do something that really excites me and challenges me as an actor because with each passing day I just feel motivated to hone my craft and try to get better at it.
