Calling out television’s narrow portrayal of female characters, Abigail Pande on batting for more layers and honest roles with ‘Missing Priya’
Abigail Pande
Her energy is the kind that bounces off the set and lingers long after the pack-up call — Abigail Pande’s co-stars insist. Known for playing the quintessential good girl on television, the actor is now shaking things up with Missing Priya, a crime thriller that places her in the grey zone. Calling the titular character “flawed”, Pande admits that the goody-two-shoes women often seen on TV are far removed from reality.
After years on the small screen, she felt it was time to chase more “performance-oriented” parts, starting with Ektaa R Kapoor’s new OTT app Kutingg. In conversation with mid-day, Pande discusses what drew her to Missing Priya, why TV has grown monotonous, and how she misses love stories.
A still from ‘Missing Priya’
Excerpts from the interview.
How did you come aboard Missing Priya?
I got a call stating that Balaji is starting a new OTT app, and they wanted to talk to me about a thriller show they were producing. I have never done an out-and-out thriller before. Being someone who enjoys watching crime thrillers, I agreed. If it surprises me as an audience, then I’d like to be a part of it. I liked how the story and character progress, and the climax is my ultimate favourite. That, in fact, convinced me right after the narration.
Do you prefer playing grey characters instead of a positive role?
I like characters that are not completely positive or negative because that is not reality. Everyone has their good and bad sides, which is why my character in Missing Priya is so interesting. She is not a goody-two-shoes; neither is she evil. She is a flawed character.
You’ve been playing the adarsh bahu trope on TV for a long time. Didn’t it ever get monotonous?
Of course, it did. No show comes with a guarantee that it will work or how long it will work for. Seeing shows shut down in three months these days, I feel it was better when I did TV — shows would run longer back then. I love doing TV and playing the adarsh bahu. It has a very home like vibe; you go to the same set, meet the same people, and it is endearing. [Shooting for] TV is every day, so I miss that vibe on set. On a web series, you shoot for a month. [However], I thought I could do better as an actor. I wanted to play more relatable roles. And OTT gives you that option to showcase things that you cannot ordinarily do on TV like violence or bloodshed. I do miss TV and would like to go back to it someday, but right now, my focus is to do performance-oriented roles.
How would you describe a performance-oriented role?
I like playing characters that are flawed. On TV, there is a lot of unrealistic belief about one person who is shown as all good and self-sacrificing. People are not so easily [categorised], the world is not black and white. On TV, you’re either a bahu or a vamp, but that’s unfair to women because there’s much more to us than just these two brackets that TV puts us in.
Do you think romantic stories are not being explored much?
I totally miss romance. This was something I really liked about TV because growing up we had daily soaps like Kasautii Zindagii Kay [2001] and Kkavyanjali [2005]. Now everything has become similar. You watch the same set-up in every show. I miss shooting and watching love stories. I miss the time when everyone went above and beyond to make shows that were different. I wish we had more originals than remakes.
Wishing for ‘Zindagi Wins 2’
“I was hoping they would bring another season for the medical show ‘Zindagi Wins’ [2015], but at that time, there was a lot going on with the channel. Nowadays, you only see family dramas everywhere. I wish it came back. I would love it.”
When In self-doubt
Abigail Pande confesses that she too has doubted herself often. “I think we should normalise it. Every actor is constantly trying to up their game on social media, but in reality, they are so lonely and insecure. It is not a stable industry. There will be times when you doubt yourself and give it all up, but I believe that is when you keep your faith the most,” she advises.
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