Surveen Chawla: I was looking to break away from dark characters

Surveen Chawla on taking up a comic role in R Madhavan’s Decoupled

Surveen Chawla says the upcoming Netflix original Decoupled served as an opportunity for her to break free from dark and heavy-duty roles that she has played in the past.

Directed by Hardik Mehta of Kaamyaab and Roohi fame, the show follows the story of Arya Iyer (R Madhavan), a writer, whose marriage is over, but has persuaded his estranged wife (Chawla) to continue living with him to create the myth of family for their daughter, who is terrified of their divorce.

Chawla, 37, said she found the story of Decoupled unique and refreshing. “I was looking forward to breaking that mould and experimenting with something that I haven’t done before. For me to play Shruti, who is different from what I’ve done in the past, which has been dark, was a refreshing change. As a subject, this hasn’t been seen on any platform or in films. Thanks to the fabulous writing, I was sold after listening to it,” said the actor. 

Surveen Chawla and R Madhavan in Decoupled

Chawla, who has worked across various mediums and languages, said she feels blessed that audiences have always lauded her choice of work. “I am fortunate that every piece of work that I picked up had strong content. I’ve come a long way but there’s [still] a thirst that I need to quench. I feel, as long as that thirst is alive, I’ll be here,” she added.

 The actor, who gained new found success with Netflix series Sacred Games, said for her the focus has always been on associating with well-rounded stories. “Sacred Games was a big [show], the length of the part wasn’t a matter of concern for me and so it’s quite humbling to see the response that I got.”     

While the role of Shruti was challenging, she would have loved to play Madhavan’s character for the similarities they share. “Sometimes in the chaos and drama, there are characters that bring normalcy to things and that’s how Shruti is — more responsive and vulnerable.    I wanted to play Arya [because] I’m like that. I don’t have a social filter, due to which I am often misconstrued,” she said.

 In Decoupled, Chawla’s character may be on the verge of splitting from her onscreen partner Madhavan but in reality, she fails to understand why the exit route in a marriage is so easy to follow today. “There’s such sacredness involved in this relationship, it deserves more time, patience, tolerance, and not an easy way out.  Times have changed and everybody has stress. During our parents’ time, there was no exit room, they were there through thick and thin till death did them part. And that had a meaning, sacredness to it. Strangely, it isn’t like that today. I feel giving up cannot be an option in any relationship and particularly marriage,” she pointed out.

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