Mukti Mohan who enthralled us time and again with her performances, has now made us speechless with her portrayal of Palak Rana in Kritika Kamra, Raghav Juyal and Dhairya Karwa starrer Gyaarah Gyaarah which is currently streaming on Zee5. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Mukti spoke about the feedback she has been getting from the audience, reuniting with Raghav after their stint in an a dance show, and much more.
Unfiltered Mukti Mohan
You must have been receiving feedback for your role in Gyaarah Gyaarah. How is the feedback?
One beautiful thing is Umesh (Director Umesh Bist) sir, the director of the series, told me that he had never celebrated a life and given a farewell to a character like this. I think that's what Palak Rana’s character brought to the series. I had no idea about the other cases, only about mine. I loved that there was a personal angle to the investigative officer solving the serial murder case and that her fiance was stuck in it. The characters were etched out so beautifully, and I was concerned about what if she could be saved. But people received the character so warmly, and the other day, someone even recognised me on the road and said, “You played that character so well.” It felt nice that people are noticing.
Gyaarah Gyaarah is a collaboration between Dharma and Sikhiya. How did you feel when you first heard that?
Sikhiya had done the pre-production, and we were already on the floor when we got to know that Dharma was getting involved. We were excited that more eyeballs would come, and more people would know about the series. Dharma announces projects so well, and with Guneet Monga, an Oscar winner, and Karan Johar, it felt like the project was in safe hands. I was very happy that such a gripping thriller drama was being told by these amazing production houses.
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Tell us a bit about the shooting experience.
Most of my scenes were done at night due to the nature of the serial murder case and the specific girls targeted. Shooting in January in Dehradun and Mussoorie, especially at Kempty Falls, was memorable. It was freezing—around 2 degrees—and the sound of the waterfall was so loud that we couldn’t hear each other. Shooting a murder scene in those conditions was challenging, but my childhood memories of Kempty Falls, where it used to be so much fun, have now changed. Shooting there made me feel grateful to be alive.
How was it preparing for the murder scene? Was it challenging or mentally exhausting?
You can't prepare for certain scenes, like when a plastic bag is put over your face with no holes, and after inhaling, it sticks to your mouth and nose. You end up inhaling carbon dioxide, and you have to do multiple takes of that. In wide shots, you can cheat a bit, but in close-ups, you have to live it truthfully. It makes you empathize with anyone who has gone through that, and I was grateful to be alive. The production team was very supportive, always covering me in a shawl between takes. It’s a tough scene, but I like to challenge myself.
How was it reuniting with Raghav on the same project?
We didn't get to meet because our scenes were separate. But I told him that I was playing this character, and he didn’t even know who was playing it because they were already shooting when I joined. I’m so happy for him. He’s been bagging back-to-back Sikhiya projects like Kill andGyaarah Gyaarah. We’ve both transitioned from dancing to acting together, and I feel very proud when I see him doing well.