‘The Appetite For Horror Has Increased’

‘How
to
hold
people’s
attention
is
challenging.’

Growing
up
in
a
household
brimming
with
talent
and
creativity,

Mukti
Mohan‘s
story
is
as
much
about
her
family
as
it
is
about
her
individual
achievements.

With
sisters
Neeti
Mohan
and
Shakti
Mohan
both
making
their
mark
in
the
music
and
dance
world
respectively,
Mukti
is
now
focused
on
establishing
herself
as
an
actress.
She
is
currently
seen
in
a
supernatural
horror
film
called

A
Wedding
Story.

Talking
about
her
close
knit
bonds
with
her
sisters,
Mukti
Mohan
tells



Rediff.com
Contributor

Mohnish
Singh,
“Ours
was
a
mad
house.
Kriti,
Neeti
and
Shakti
used
to
have
songs,
themes
and
costumes
already
(for
every
occasion),
and
I
used
to
feel
like,
what
is
going
on?”

August
turned
out
to
be
a
great
month
for
you
with
the
release
of
two
Web
Series
—

Gyaarah
Gyaraah
and

Life
Hill
Gayi
as
well
as
your
first
theatrical
film,

A
Wedding
Story.

I
am
feeling
so
grateful
to
all
the
makers,
who
gave
me
these
exciting
opportunities
and
put
all
that
responsibility
on
my
shoulders.

Filming

A
Wedding
Story
turned
out
to
be
an
exciting
experience
because
it
was
yet
another
new
genre
for
me.
It
is
a
supernatural
horror
film
and,
as
you
mentioned,
my
first
theatrical
release.

So,
I
was
very,
very,
excited.

Do
you
think
the
Indian
audience
has
warmed
up
to
the
horror-comedy
genre
with
films
like

Munjya
and

Stree
2
doing
great
business?

I
hope
so.
The
appetite
for
horror
has
increased.

Even
when
the
teaser
and
the
trailer
of

A
Wedding
Story
released,
it
received
a
great
response.

The
makers
were
anxious
about
how
it
will
be
received,
but
it
was
received
so
well.

From
your
breakthrough
in
the
reality
show

Zara
Nachke
Dikha
2
to
now
starring
in
Web
shows
and
films,
how
has
your
journey
evolved
as
a
dancer
and
actress?

Absolute
evolution.
You
always
start
from
telling
a
story
and
that
it
heightened
when
you
dance.

I
would
always
participate
in
plays
in
colleges.

From
here,
everything
is
a
victory.

You
have
been
a
part
of
several
dance
reality
shows.
How
do
you
think
these
platforms
have
shaped
your
career
and
influenced
your
expression
as
an
artist?

At
that
time,
there
was
no
way
you
could
showcase
it.

There
was
no
Internet.

Television
gave
me
that
platform
and
that
acceptance.
Having
their
(the
judges)
trust
and
faith
in
me
allowed
me
to
work
on
myself.

I
even
did

Fear
Factor:
Khatron
Ke
Khiladi.
I
did
the
stunts
and
all
those
things
to
be
in
touch
with
myself,
to
be
in
tune
with
what
scares
me
and
what
I
feel.

It’s
a
boon
for
an
actor
to
have
so
many
experiences.

I
am
very
happy
that
I
got
to
do
plays.
You
have
to
show
your
calibre
somewhere
for
anyone
to
pick
up
that
phone
and
call
you
for
casting,
right?

I’m
very
glad
that
the
theatre-going
audience
had
directors
and
casting
directors,
who
saw
my
talent
and
said,
‘So
yeah,
if
we
give
this
character
to
her,
she’ll
send
a
beautiful
tester.
She’ll
do
a
good
job.’

I
have
always
got
excited
about
auditioning,
being
part
of
a
story.

Any
new
story
came
along,
I
fully
immersed
myself
in
it
and
tried
to
do
my
best.

It
has
been
quite
a
journey.

Talent
that
emerged
from
TV
is
still
relevant
and
talked
about
but
can
we
say
the
same
for
the
talent
that
emerged
from
the
Internet?

The
Internet,
in
many
ways,
has
allowed
a
new
industry
to
be
formed.

It
is
well-timed,
duration
specific
and
attention
specific.

How
to
hold
people’s
attention
is
challenging.

We
were
used
to
dancing
for
eight
minutes
on
stage.
We
had
that
kind
of
stamina,
and
that’s
what
our
training
was.

You
were
also
given
marks
and
judged,
so
seeking
validation
for
different
platforms,
for
different
durations
became
a
game.

That
competitiveness
and
that
positivity
is
very
important
for
artists
to
take
in
their
stride.

Now
it
is
like
creating
your
own
characters
on
YouTube
videos
to
transitioning
into
films,
if
you
have
talent.

Even
influencers
have
come
in
films.

So
regardless
of
the
platform,
people
are
always
looking
for
new
talent,
always
looking
to
be
entertained
through
different
mediums.

The
world
is
our
stage
now,
and
every
person
is
getting
that
opportunity.

You
can
be
from
anywhere
but
you
might
end
up
working
with
someone
of
40
years
of
experience.

Imagine
I
got
to
work
with
Anil
Kapoor
(Thar),
who
has
been
in
the
industry
for
44
years!

How
was
it
growing
up
in
a
family
with
such
talented
sisters,
Neeti
and
Shakti?
Was
there
any
sibling
rivalry?

Ours
was
a
mad
house.

Kriti,
Neeti
and
Shakti
used
to
have
songs,
themes
and
costumes
already
(for
every
occasion),
and
I
used
to
feel
like,
what
is
going
on?

I
used
to
peep
from
a
keyhole
when
they
used
to
prepare
a
song
and
wear
mummy’s
lipstick
and
play
a
character.

Neetididi
used
to
direct
and
choreograph
us.

I
really
think
that
behind
the
magnet
and
the
talent,
there
is
a
seed,
which
is
Neeti
Mohan.
She
can
dance.
She
can
sing.
She
can
act.

She
chose
to
be
a
playback
singer,
but
quite
honestly,
she
was
a
source
of
it
all.

She
inspired
us
to
follow
our
journey,
follow
our
heart.

We
were
so
excited
when
she
became
a
pop
star.

We’re
like,
why
can’t
we
do
shows
with
you
or
dance
with
you?

She
was
like,
no.
I
don’t
want
you
to
dance
behind
me.
I
want
you
to
dance
with
me.

All
those
years
of
following
our
own
paths
—
me
in
acting,
Shaktididi
in
dancing,
and
Neetididi
in
singing.

I
think
this
was
a
design
that
maybe
God
wanted
us
to
perfect
our
skills
and
collect
as
much
experience
as
possible
before
we
were
seen
together.

All
of
you
are
quite
busy
in
your
respective
careers.
How
do
you
get
time
together?

Whenever
we
get
time,
we
do
dance
classes
together.

We
get
together
and
make
each
other
listen
to
the
tracks
we
are
excited
about.
We
tell
each
other
that
this
is
a
storyline,
this
is
a
concept.
Then
we
have
a
meeting.

We
encourage
each
other
to
come
up
with
something
new
because
we
have
to
up
our
game
even
though
we
have
individual
careers.

No
matter
what
happens,
even
if
we
are
busy,
we
make
time
for
training.

We
make
time
for
learning
new
crafts,
new
body
language,
brushing
up
skills.

You
were
an
established
dancer
before
you
started
auditioning
for
acting
assignments.
How
did
casting
directors
treat
you
when
you
began
the
new
journey?
Did
they
have
any
doubts?

Definitely.
Until
some
of
my
work
released,
a
lot
of
people
wondered
if
I
could
act.

Also,
there
are
a
certain
type
of
characters
that
people
see
fit
for
you
when
you
are
a
dancer.

But
I
was
glad
that
I
had
done
a
lot
of
theatre
with
a
really
good
bunch
of
people.

With
nurturing,
the
craft
evolved.

We
still
have
a
theatre
called
Mukti
Manch,
which
I
started
with
children’s
plays.

I
made
it
a
point
to
hone
my
craft
in
theatre.

Because
I
also
have
trained
in
Bharata
Natyam,
these
concepts
became
clearer,
especially
when
I
go
to
training.

Interestingly,
casting
directors
also
watch
a
lot
of
plays.
I
didn’t
know
that.

So
they
knew,
even
before
I
did
reality
shows,
that
I
act.
They
just
wanted
to
see
how
I
act.
So
the
more
plays
I
did,
the
more
opportunities
to
audition
I
got.

I
understood
the
camera
medium
when
I
assisted
on
a
film.

It
has
been
over
a
decade
since
you
have
been
part
of
the
entertainment
industry.
What
has
been
the
most
memorable
moment
in
your
career
so
far?

My
major,
I
think,
high
point
was
when
I
was
feeling
the
lowest.

At
that
time,
my
father
had
given
me
a
poem
and
said,
‘See
if
you
can
convert
that
into
a
play.’

I
took
that
as
a
challenge.

That
was
the
lowest
and
the
highest
point
of
my
life
because
I
could
pick
myself
up
and
create
something
and
understand
that
no
matter
what
you’re
feeling,
you
can
never
keep
that
above
what
you’re
telling
on
stage,
what
you’re
telling
the
audience,
and
how
you’re
making
them
feel.