Monsters in law are back

For those who watch the soap Beintehaan, the one character that stands out is that of Suraiya, played by seasoned actress Suchitra Pillai. While Suchitra’s character in the show is manipulative, nasty and a snob, it comes across as more influential and interesting than the other characters in the serial.

“Suraiya is bad and nasty but has other sides too. She has various layers, like with her children and husband, she is very protective and believes in always standing by their side, even if they are wrong. But with her daughter-in-law she is as bad as she can be,” says Suchitra. The actress believes that the concept of bad mother-in-law and good daughter-in-law sells like hot cakes on Indian television.

“Because Suraiya is born and brought up in high society, she likes to keep a high profile. Considering the background Suraiya comes from, being a snob and nasty are traits of her personality. But I must say that’s not all, people will witness a vulnerable side to me as some past revelations will be shown in an upcoming show,” she adds.

Suchitra is overwhelmed with the appreciation she received for her role and shares the background work done to get in the skin of the character. “When I signed the show, the brief given was that Suraiya was a high-class snob. Later when I started my research, I observed a lot of my friends who were rich. I noticed their habits, way of walking, talking etc. I tried to do my homework well and I feel that has paid well.”

Also one important quality about Suraiya is that she believes in sending her message via her eyes instead of shouting and screaming. “I draw inspiration from Rekha. I have observed her way of styling. The lipsticks she uses are mostly red and I tried to get the same colour and also the same brand. But I must mention that I can only copy her style and nothing else. She is iconic,” says Suchitra.