Acting has no age limit: Surekha Sikri

The name Surekha Sikri may not immediate ring a bell, but if we say 'Dadisa' or 'Bhabho', you will certainly know who one is talking about.

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Surekha Sikri, familiar to us as 'Dadisa' from Balika Vadhu or 'Bhabho' from Saat Phere is a personality whom people adore and would love to act with.

At the age of 64, she has the younger generations desperate to share frame with her. A well-known name in every household of the country, she is said to be a perfectionist. We got into a candid chat with the perfectionist herself as she talks about her life, about acting, theatre, television and life itself.

Going down memory lane, she says, "I was born in Dehradun, which is in Uttar Pradesh. I must inform you that I don't have any filmi or television background, just in case you're wondering (laughs). My father was in the Air Force and my mother was a teacher. My grandfather was a doctor. So you see acting was certainly not in my blood," says the artiste.

Sounds interesting... so, how did she develop her love for acting?

"I wasn't too passionate about acting at the start. When I was in my teens, I started taking more interest in watching plays and that's how I saw myself doing theatre in the future.

I was sitting at home initially as I was not too aware of what I wanted to do in life. Soon, I started watching plays and that inspired me to act too. I then started doing plays and gradually understood what I had to do in life; I had to act."

Surekha Sikri is one of those fine actors who have established themselves well in the industry. With so much experience and so much of perfection, it seems needless for the directors to take more than two takes for this perfectionist. We also heard that she is very choosy about her roles and firmly believes on the concept of 'quality not quantity'.

She agrees and says, "That is very true, indeed. I am very choosy about my roles. I personally feel that it is quality that matters the most and not the quantity. When choosing a role, I first of all understand my character to the core. I also enquire about the director's reputation in the market. I always want class in whatever I do. That is me, Surekha Sikri."

Surekha has got many prestigious awards in her kitty including two National film awards, one Sangeet Natak Academy and one ITA award. Her hard work and dedication has paid off, it seems.

She laughs it off and says, "It seems you guys have done a lot of research. Yes, I do feel I have received enough recognition. All the names you have mentioned are not just any awards. They are all big awards not given to everybody. I knew I deserved them and that is why I am here, being recognized by almost each and every individual."

Each and every role of hers stands out from the other, be it a vulnerable mother or someone losing her memory, or a strict matriarch. So, for such a perfectionist which role would be the most challenging and why?

Surekha says that such challenges have been a part and parcel of her life and she loves to accept them as they come her way.

"After doing theatre for so many years I don't really find my roles much challenging. Be it television or films. I am not saying that I am perfect but I feel I am quite experienced in this industry. Yes, the character of 'Dadisa' of Balika Vadhu is very challenging as the role is quite interesting. Having a grasp of the language (Rajasthani) was quite a task. I feel 'Dadisa' has yet to learn a lot (and she laughs again)."

The old saying, 'older you get, the more beautiful you are' seems to be a new mantra and Surekha too agrees with us. "I totally agree that "older is beautiful".

Beautiful, not in terms of physical appearance, but feeling beautiful from within. I have gained a lot of experience and this has helped me achieve me what I aspired to. Certainly, when I was young I had no ambition; I wasn't famous. Now I feel proud that after reaching this stage of my life, people do recognize me. Certainly, acting was not in my blood, but I feel I have put acting into my blood."