Women need to be stories, not just mere parts in it: Actor Surveen Chawla

Surveen Chawla, known for her performances in big OTT hit shows like Scared Games, Rana Naidu, Criminal Justice, says even though she would like to be part of films, women-centric stories are hard to come by.

Chawla said the industry is a work in progress when it comes to opportunities for women, both on and off screen.

“Women need to be stories, not just mere parts in it. The industry is evolving where we’re eventually getting into a space where you want to aspire to have equality on every aspect whether it is equality on quality or in storytelling, pay parity or on how you’re treated, keeping the hierarchy aside,” the actor said.

Good roles are plenty in the OTT space and that’s what she is currently focused on, said the actor, who has acted in films such as Ugly, Hate Story 2, and Parched.

“I feel like there is scarcity of such parts being written in films, which is what draws you to doing this here (on OTT). If I’ve an opportunity to do one or five or ten such films where it satisfies my hunger that I’ve been able to contribute to a project in a large way then I’ll do it,” Chawla added.

The 40-year-old actor, who will next appear in Netflix series Mandala Murders, said she is seeking roles that challenge her.

“A lot of work doesn’t mean there’s a queue. So, from that little basket of work that you get, you try to pick the most exciting one, challenging and unique one, something that you’ve not done in the past.

“I need to feel that joy from within when I’m waking up on a day of shooting that spring in your step that today I’m going to surmount a small little peak.”

Headlined by Vaani Kapoor, “Mandala Murders” is a mythological crime-thriller.

Set in the quaint, mysterious town of Charandaspur, the series will see Kapoor as a no-nonsense investigative officer, Rhea Thomas, who unravels a chilling conspiracy of ritualistic killings tied to a centuries-old secret society.

It is directed by Gopi Puthran of Mardaani 2 fame and Manan Rawat.

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Chawla’s co-star from the show, Vaibhav Raj Gupta of “Gullak” fame, said the upcoming show is a “big opportunity” for him.

“I’ve been waiting for three years for this trailer to come, for this show to come. I was telling myself I was like as soon as ‘Gullak’ is there, ‘Mandala…’ will reach further than that because of so many things. All the things were amazing in this show and it was a big opportunity for me to reach people because they were only seeing me as Anu for a long time.

“So, it was very tough for me to break that thing because then you need somebody like Gopi sir or Manan sir who can see you doing something different. So I’m asking them, ‘how did you think that I can do Vikram Singh because I couldn’t see myself’,” he said.

Madala Murders, produced by YRF Entertainment, will premiere on July 25 on Netflix.