Last seen in Dear Zindagi, Dishita Sehgal is all set to hit the big screen with Hindi Medium. The young chatterbox talks to Nikita Wadhawan on things she likes to talk about
Dishita Sehgal knows that she’s cute, and never leaves a moment to impress, be it with her angelic smile or innocent chatter. Just seven-year-old this girl has already marked her presence with her acting skills in movies like Baby, Neerja and Dear Zindagi, and now is all set to impress the audiences in Hindi Medium. So what if her co-stars are stalwarts like Akshay Kumar and Irrfan Khan, the little girl gives her performances uninhibited.
The pampered lot
It was not before may auditions that Dishita landed the role of Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar’s daughter in Hindi Medium. Currently studying in Mumbai-based International school, Dishita enjoyed all the pampering she received on the sets. “Shooting for the movie was a fun filled roller coaster ride. Everyone on the sets pampered me a lot,” Dishita says.
As she talks more about the film, she reveals how shooting with Irrfan and the director was such a learning experience. “Director Saket Chaudhry is a wonderful person. He used to explain the situation to me once, tell me now how to react and I did how he wanted me to do. In all it was a great learning experience,” she says. This power packed performer never underwent any formal training for the movie.
Giggles and chuckles
Shooting a movie with kids is not a child’s play. Albeit Hindi Medium touches on a very serious topic, the filmmakers have dealt with the subject in a very humorous manner. So while filming the funny scenes Dishita was unable to control her laughter. “There was a scene where Deepak ji’s son shouts ‘Papa dengue’ and Deepak ji had to come running and hit the mosquito with chappals. Every time Deepak ji used to come with chappals hitting mosquito I used to burst out laughing. I was supposed to be scared but I just kept on laughing. Finally to shoot the scene they covered my face with a dupatta,” Dishita giggles as she recalls the incident.
Not just an actor
The time is gone when children was supposed to only either study or play. In this fast-paced competitive world, parents want their wards to be ready to fight any situation and be multi-talented. While Dishita goes to school when not working in films, she’s also a keen painter. She recently had one of her paintings exhibited in kids’ painting exhibition section organised by Yellow Canvas in the city. “My mother being a radio jockey trains me in voice modulations and acting and father helps me in studies,” Dishita says as she expresses her wish to be a painter but also wants to continue acting as she enjoys it.
With regular auditions, imperative things like school and studies do tend to take a backseat but Dishita’s parents manage to maintain balance by being selective about her shoots. “We make sure that Dishita is not missing her school too much because of shoots. We are very selective for the auditions we go for. If she has something important going on in the school we do not make her miss it. If the brand is good and Dishita is selected, we inform teachers and take permissions from them if she needs to miss school for more than a day or two,” says Dishita’s mother.
The star
Envy of so many kids her age, Dishita has managed to work with some of the tops stars in Bollywood from Akshay Kumar to Alia Bhatt. It must have looked like a dream to see oneself on big screen. “I was so happy to see myself on big screen for the first time in ‘Baby’. I started shouting ‘Mumma I came, I came’,” she exclaims.
