Dr Arora actor Sandeepa Dhar says she was intrigued when she heard Imtiaz Ali was making a present on a sexologist

Imtiaz Ali’s new net collection Dr Arora launched final Friday. The dramedy stars Kumud Mishra because the titular character, a sexologist treating sufferers in three small cities in north and central India within the late-90s. Actor Sandeepa Dhar is a part of the ensemble forged of the SonyLiv present and he or she spoke to Hindustan Times about her position, the apprehensions of taking over a present with such a taboo topic, and dealing with Imtiaz. Also learn: Dr Arora- Gupt Rog Visheshagya review: Imtiaz Ali’s show with Kumud Mishra as a sexologist needs a lesson in sensitivity

In Dr Arora, Sandeepa performs Mithila Tomar aka Mithu, spouse of Morena Police Superintendent who sadly suffers from untimely ejaculation. Talking about whether or not she was apprehensive about being a part of the present which tackles topics usually thought-about taboo, she says, “I would have been apprehensive if Imtiaz was not attached. There is a certain amount of credibility that Imtiaz brings to the table. You know for a fact that it’s not going to be vulgar or cheap in any way because it has Imtiaz attaching his name to it. And I knew he had written it so I knew very well that I was in safe hands. There was no doubt about the quality of the project.”

She does add that she was shocked when she first heard the pitch for the present and that Imtiaz was writing it. “I was very intrigued because someone who is known for making love stories is making a show on something like this,” she says with amusing.

Sandeepa provides that although folks can really feel uncomfortable with the present’s subject material, normalising conversations about it’s the present’s purpose. She elaborates, “Yes, it is a subject that can make you yourself uncomfortable at times because you are not used to talking about such things with your parents and family. Yes, that apprehension could be there. But then, that’s what the intent of the show is–to remove it. We want to make it into a subject that any other medical issue. Until some tim ago, mental health was like that. Until you talk about it, you won’t be able to normalise it.”

Just how ‘under the rug’ this topic is one thing Sandeepa had realised lengthy earlier than she had signed the present. She recollects an incident from her childhood, “I did my schooling in Bangalore and in the winter vacations, we would visit our relatives in Delhi. The train journey would take two and a half days. As a child, you are curious about what’s outside. I used to see these walls painted with all these doctors’ names. Once I asked my dad why they are advertising this doctor on walls. At that time, my parents said, ‘you don’t need to know all this, you focus on your work’. You know how parents are.”

She mentions that there hasn’t been one other present like this, which is true. Dr Arora tackles taboo topics and presents them with a lens of comedy, with out preaching. When requested that exhibits like these are solely made as we speak due to the existence of streaming platforms, Sandeepa says, “I am so glad that I am an actor at this point in time when the timing is bang on for a show like this. Even two years ago, when there was OTT, this may not have been received or accepted like it is today. I feel people are a little more open to the idea now. Full marks to platforms like SonyLiv for bringing relevant issues to the masses and greenlighting a project that could be controversial.”

The actor provides that the most important problem for her whereas enjoying her position was not the subject material however the present’s setting and time. She shares, “It’s set in the 90s. I am not aware of the world of Morena in the 90s. I am aware of Delhi, Bangalore, and Bombay. So I had to understand that first. I had to get the body language of that small-town woman, which is completely different. But it’s kind of fun to mold yourself into another person.”