EXCLUSIVE! Kajol interview on The Trial: ‘OTT has increased our longevity as actors’

An adaptation of The Good Wife, The Trial is a must watch for all. In an EXCLUSIVE interview with Firstpost, Kajol talks about her role as Noyonika in The Trial and how didn’t have to prepare much because the script was so well written. Kajol believes that with the help of digital platforms more emphasis is being given to women’s roles. The scripts that have been written are coming up with very varied subjects for women. Edited excerpts from the interview: What was the preparation of the role like for Noyonika in _The Trial_ ? Noyonika’s preparation was basically done by director Suparn S Varma and his team. The script was written down so well at the script level that it wasn’t difficult to understand at all.  Plus, we did have some lawyers on set with us. So that we don’t go wrong anywhere. And of course the research team went to the high courts, sessions court to see how courts actually behave, how they work, what they do and all of that. So the main prep was done from the teams’ side and my preparation for the role was more about learning the monologues and learning to say what and when. How do you relate to your character as Noyonika in The Trial?  Noyonika is a character that most women will relate to because women at heart are eminently practical people. We are very practical creatures and we are taught to be so from the time we are children. And we are taught to be good multi-taskers and to be good daughters, wives and everything good. And that is everything that Noyonika believes she is. It’s a very practical approach that Trial tried showing especially when your children and family are at stake. Digital platforms and the changing women’s role…  Women have been doing leading roles for a while now.  But there is a lot more emphasis on it today than it was earlier and definitely the scripts that have been written are coming up with very varied subjects for women. And not just women, it’s a fantastic time for all actors. In fact, instead of playing just a grey role and being justified by the end of it, you can actually play a real grey role or a real black role and yet be the lead. I think audiences have changed and they are willing to see a lot more varied content and are willing to understand a lot more. Ageism has been huge in Bollywood once upon a time. But now with the digital platform coming in we see so many different roles that women actors are getting to play and they are playing their age. What do you have to say about this new change? Honestly, it is a fantastic time for actors and that’s actually what the digital platforms have given us. In a weird way, they have increased our longevity as an actor. And most importantly increased the longevity of your relevance. Now you don’t have to have the typical standards of beauty and you don’t have to have anything specific to be a lead female actor or for that matter a lead male actor. In fact, we have some lead males playing lead females (laughs). It’s actually an interesting time for creative people in the industry. How do you maintain work-life balance?  In my personal life I am happy to have a very supportive family and they have always told me that we are here for you, we are behind you and we are going to take care of you. So, they have always been there and Ajay (Devgn) for that matter has always supported me and never stopped me. He made sure that he adjusted his schedule with me and I adjust my schedule with him.  We have taken breaks together and sometimes not together as well. Just to accommodate our kids’ schedule. What is your take on the series format which is popular on the digital platforms? Series format is a more defined arc. The arc is clearer and you can take a character from one space to a completely different space and show the growth and the gradual change over very nicely through a series because you have that much time and space to take it through.