Actor-couple Rasika and Mukul on working together: There was comfortability

Real-life couple and actors Rasika Duggal (39) and Mukul Chadda (43) have collaborated for their first feature film together in 14 years of marriage, Fairy Folk. Chadda, reflecting on his experience with Karan Gaur’s upcoming Indie project, remarks, “It’s a very different process from every other film that I’ve ever done. It was my first full-length indie project. The process was quite unusual, I have done a lot of improv, but still, it was a very different way of doing things and great fun. You get to do a lot. It was a director as well as an actor’s medium.”
Duggal echoes Chadda’s sentiments, emphasising the refreshing nature of the film’s dialogues. “In many projects that we do, the dialogue is not representative of what the scene is, but in this one, the dialogues were so fun, new, and so natural, that for me was very exciting,” she says.
Despite having collaborated on short films and advertisements previously, Fairy Folk marks the couple’s first venture into feature-length filmmaking together. Duggal reflects on their evolving dynamic, stating, “Mukul and I have worked a lot on improvs before, but lately, we have also started taking active interest in each other’s working life.”
To which Chadda adds, “The level of discussion that you can have as actors is just so good. If you have a lot of trust and respect for your co-star, plus that co-star is your own wife, that can make some wonderful moments.”
However, navigating the intersection of their personal and professional lives presented its own set of challenges. Duggal notes, “The only thing I missed on this shoot is that he couldn’t be my sounding board after a day of working because I also had to respect that he had his own ideas about what’s happening on the shoot.”
Despite the hurdles, the couple found solace in their shared experiences, both on and off-screen. Chadda highlighted the ease of collaboration, stating, “It was very easy to go to the set and come back. We were always discussing on our way ki ‘aaj khaana kya hai?’ That ease was the best part for me about working with Rasika.”
As Fairy Folk garnered a lot of attention at International festivals, including Sydney Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and many others, both actors express hope for the film’s broader reach and don’t think of Indie as an ignored genre. Duggal says, “I think that more ways that you can access the audience is better for that piece of work. The film on OTT or theaters doesn’t matter, if a film has to find its audience, it will. I hope those International festivals made more people know about our Indie film.” To which Chadda adds and says, “The fact that our film has gone to these festivals and the reviews we have received kind of helps and people take it more seriously. People can have their reservations with Indie films, but the festivals have given us a confidence boost.”