Mukkabaaz actor Zoya Hussain: Earlier, mute characters in films were mere caricatures

Actor Zoya Hussain admits that other actors “would have probably stayed away” from playing the role of a mute in their first-ever commercial film, but, for her, the character of Sunaina in the recently released film, Mukkabaaz, was so powerful that she couldn’t say no to it.

“There was a little part of me which said, ‘Oh shit! she is a mute character and I’ve to learn sign language.’ Having said that there weren’t any inhibitions because it was such a strong story. And with such an amazing cast, I actually saw it as a different opportunity to showcase my talent and stand out,” she says.

Zoya feels that though other actors have also played the role of mute characters in films of the recent past, she insists that her role is different from the rest. She says, “There were a number of things that I had done to prepare for the role. I learnt sign language. And I didn’t learn only my lines in the film; I learned the language completely. I felt that, if I don’t learn the language properly, I’ll not be able to do justice to the role. I had that responsibility. There were other mute characters in films before, too, but I feel they were a bit caricature-ish. I didn’t understand the point of those roles being mute in the film.”

In this Anurag Kashyap directorial, Zoya plays the role of a strong, feisty girl. “I tried to be responsible for the portrayal of this role. My character is stronger, aggressive and more stubborn than Shravan (Vineet Kumar Singh’s character). She is the dominant part in their relationship and that is what we wanted to show in the film. It’s not that women don’t have a voice; they aren’t given a chance to speak. I loved playing this role,” adds the actor.