The term global is a strange one. An actress in Bollywood who does a bit of a role or more in a Hollywood or international film is called going ‘global.’
What can, then one say about Ayesha Dharker, who has always made a mark on the international scene by acting in Hollywood films (as also in French and Indian films), a Broadway musical, and television series in the United Kingdom?
More recently, she is being applauded for her role in the film Outsourced. She says that she loved the script because “it addresses things that are actually happening without being an ‘issue’ film.” How does she define herself as an actress? She says “I have worked all over the place, but more by virtue of having worked a long time and wanting to try new things. I have never really planned it that way, but I started out wanting to work on projects that were not totally commercial. I think the minute you define yourself as anything, you find that you are limiting yourself, so as an actor, I would never say I am looking for anything specific, except interesting characters and good scripts.”
Does she see herself doing a mainstream, commercial Bollywood entertainer? Ayesha says, “I think it would depend on the film, I have never said that I will never do an out and out commercial film and there are a lot of directors I really like. Unlike some people, I don’t have a group of actors I want to work with. I look more at the director and the script, so if the right project comes along, why not?”
She is quite a globe trotter that way. And understandably some of her favourite cities are scattered across the world. “I have ended up in lots of different places, but my favourites are definitely London, New York and Paris. Mumbai trumps them all as far as I am concerned, but I never get bored of these cities because there is always something more to see or do. I love travelling though and I would love to go to Cuba or Mexico, but the list is endless — I am quite obsessed with history so am always drawn to places that have something that connects me to real events.” She has a special connection with Vadodara though, especially so because her aunts live here.
“I have come to Vadodara on and off throughout my life because of my family, so I am really fond of it. I was really happy when my film was screened here. I have always loved the older parts of the city because it is a city with so much history, that sometimes gets overlooked. I really love the museum in the palace grounds and the statue of Indira Raje. I loved the stories connected with that place. It is also full of talented artists, so I have always enjoyed talking to them,” says Ayesha.
Is Ayesha an avid reader or is she the sort of a person who loves going to the beach and relaxing? “Wow. I wish I could say I have seen a beach recently,” she laughs, “but yes, one of the great but also frustrating things about my job is that I spend most of the time travelling and I do read a lot. I am reading Amitav Ghosh’s new book Sea of Poppies at the moment which talks about the opium trade, and it’s terrific. Also I am re-reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas which is a wonderful chocolate box of a book, full of swashbuckling and political intrigue. Brilliant.”
So does she feel the effects of recession, especially in the entertainment industry? Is she the sort of person who always saves, no matter what? “I am a bit of a saver and have never been much of a spendthrift. I do have an alarmingly large collection of shoes, but that really is my only indulgence. The effects of the economic collapse has been felt very strongly in my industry in England especially, with a lot of TV stations cutting back on the sweeping dramas they used to make before and long-running shows coming to an end. In India, however the film industry remains robust and that is such a fortunate and wonderful thing.”
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