Merelna Imsong, Rose Lizo in ‘Paatal Lok 2,’ opens up about depth of the character, her mother’s reaction, and more: ‘My mum got high BP’

In an interrogation with indianexpress.com, Imsong opened up astir however she brought the analyzable quality to life, wherefore her mother’s humor unit roseate aft watching the show, and her struggles arsenic a ‘Northeastern’ histrion successful Mumbai.

Preparing to beryllium Rose: A travel of knowing addiction

To hole for Rose, Imsong—who did not ticker Season 1—immersed herself successful the satellite of addiction. She watched documentaries, interviewed radical who had struggled with addiction, and adjacent reached retired to those who had been done rehab. But what genuinely shaped her knowing of Rose was a YouTube interrogation with a pistillate talking astir her addiction and however she didn’t privation her kid to spell done the aforesaid ordeal.

“That’s erstwhile I realised it’s not astir the carnal translation oregon the outer appearance. It’s astir knowing their story, their pain. I realised I wasn’t expected to consciousness pity for her. She’s not weak. She’s strong, she’s warring each day. And that’s what I wanted to bring to the character,” she said.

Playing Rose wasn’t without its challenges. When asked astir a country that has stayed with her, Imsong shared that she was often terrified of overplaying definite emotions, peculiarly erstwhile it came to portraying carnal oregon affectional states. “The country wherever I conscionable Reuben portion drunk was a immense concern. I didn’t privation to overdo it. Being drunk connected surface is tough. There’s a good enactment betwixt being authentic and being over-the-top,” she said.

Working with a stellar cast

“I was nervous, of course,” confessed Imsong erstwhile asked astir moving with terrific actors similar Jaideep Ahlawat, Tillotama Shome, and Ishwak Singh.

“When I archetypal met Jaideep, I was intimidated. The antheral has a larger-than-life presence. But helium was truthful kind, truthful welcoming. It made maine consciousness astatine ease. Ishwak was ace chill, and Tilottama, I had known her a spot before, and we got on similar aged friends,” she said.

Rose’s quality successful Pataal Lok 2 is undeniably intense, offering a portrayal that could beryllium profoundly unsettling for many. Her conflict with heroin addiction and the conflict against her interior demons near Imsong’s parent successful trauma. “My parent got precise precocious humor unit aft watching the show,” Imsong said, adding that her parent besides told maine that worrying astir Hathiram made her shoulders stiff.

“She was highly upset astir a definite character’s death, which the full Internet is upset about,” Imsong told indianexpress.com. She besides shared however her parent was terrified of Ahlawat. “I had to person her he’s really a precise sweet, soft-spoken guy,” she said.

Representation and Northeast India

One of the astir almighty aspects of Paatal Lok 2 is its portrayal of Northeastern characters and the societal issues they face. From individuality conflict to favoritism to the situation of being “othered,” Imsong said she hoped that specified shows tin beryllium a stepping chromatic for much divers representations of the Northeast successful mainstream media.

“It’s frustrating sometimes,” she said, “I get formed successful roles that specifically necessitate a Northeastern character. And there’s ever this consciousness that we person to transportation the load of our contention with us. We don’t ever person to explicate our identity. We’re conscionable people.”

But, Imsong is hopeful. “The manufacture is dilatory evolving. More stories are coming out, and I anticipation that with time, determination volition beryllium a shift, wherever Northeastern characters are conscionable characters, not defined by their portion oregon race,” she said.

Casting beyond societal media following

In times erstwhile societal media pursuing plays an intrinsic relation successful bagging a relation successful a movie oregon OTT project, Imsong—who has earlier worked with Neena Gupta and Chunky Panday successful Shuruaat Ka Twist—believes that it was her audition that led her to Rose Lizo.

“I bash not deliberation societal media had thing to bash with maine being formed due to the fact that the creators of the amusement person been precise peculiar astir that. I retrieve Sudip Sharma, the creator of the show, talking astir however casting directors these days stock actors’ profiles with their societal media follower count. And helium said, ‘This makes perfectly nary consciousness to maine due to the fact that I’m not going to prosecute idiosyncratic based connected the followers.’ So, I truly similar to judge that immoderate I did connected Instagram had thing to bash with maine being cast,” Imsong said.

“I was precise fortunate the communicative is acceptable successful Nagaland, and they needed Naga actors. They needed radical who could talk the language. I besides benignant of had the physique which acceptable the character,” she said.

Imsong, a subject pupil uncertain astir a vocation successful acting earlier landing the almighty relation successful Paatal Lok 2, shared her heavy admiration for Anurag Kashyap. “Certain parts of his movie debut were changeable successful my assemblage successful Delhi. I missed it since I had gone location for wintertime vacation, but radical were telling maine astir however fantastic helium was. He’s consuming bully cinema and is precise peculiar astir what helium watches. So it’s bully erstwhile helium watches your amusement and likes it,” she said, adding that if fixed a chance, she would ever privation to enactment with him.