‘My role as Mrinalini Sarabhai will answer many questions’

When the trailer of the upcoming web series, Rocket Boys released last week, Regina Cassandra grabbed the attention with her role of Mrinalini Sarabhai in the video. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and this is the first time I am reprising a real-life character on screen and it was really interesting. However, it wasn’t a burden on my shoulders as I know that it will make the process tougher,” Regina begins. The actress’ familiarity with Bharatanatyam and her love for arts made the process smooth for her on the sets. “I have learnt a bit of Bharatanatyam and I love various dance forms and arts. To an extent it was challenging because Mrinalini was someone who lived a beautiful life and was a force to reckon with as an artist and even away from it. The challenge though was beautiful and I took help from people around me to go about it because we all were eager to see all these characters- Mrinalini, Vikram Sarabhai, and Homi Bhabha,” she adds.

Playing a dancer that too in a web series, which is more time consuming than shooting for a film, has its own strenuousness and for Regina it was on days where she had to shoot for her dance performances as Mrinalini. “It was excruciating when I had to shoot dance sequences for six to eight hours a day. It felt like I was going into a live performance after rehearsing. I took online Bharatanatyam classes as well. I knew I would pull off the dancing part but Mrinalini is someone who is beyond that. She was a pioneer and was unparalleled in what she did,” she smiles as she reminisces.

To bring Mrinalini back to life on screen, Regina explains that there were a lot of discussions on the sets and the entire team was on the same page. “The characters and the story were well-written. Abhay and Kausar worked on the script extensively. Abhay is a taskmaster and a perfectionist and the trailer is proof of that,” says the actress. The series will premiere on Sony Liv on February 4 and it will be Regina’s maiden web series. To be in the digital space especially after carving a niche for herself as a big screen actor and a bankable star across south industries, she says, “There have been several occasions when people have discussed that Regina is underrated and she deserves better. It is inevitable in this industry. Rocket Boys will be an answer to all that. Moreover, I would like to tread in different paths and try something that is out of my comfort zone. This will be right up the alley. Moreover, it is an emotional event as it is my web series debut” concludes Regina.