I Fell in Love With Munmun’s Journey From The Get-Go: Elisha Mayor

Elisha Mayor stole the show in her performance as Munmum in Jio Hotstar’s breakout musical drama, Hai Junoon. In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, the new-age actor talks about her experience.

You have mentioned that your ultimate dance dream is to perform like Madhuri Dixit on screen. What is it about her style that resonates with you, and how do you plan to incorporate those elements into your own performances?

My dance teacher and Guruji once told me that when somebody is performing, an audience member feels one of two things:

They are wowed by their performance.

They feel very connected and they go with the flow of what the performer is feeling and I think Madhuri Dixit is somebody who you look at and because she enjoys the performances that she's doing so much, I think the audience members also enjoy it with her. She goes beyond technicalities to beautify moments.

She doesn’t just beautify movements, but she creates moments, which is what I have learnt from her and I think her expressions need to be studied. They need to be a subject by itself because the way she expresses, there’s a certain train of thought that goes on internally and that externally shows through the expressions that you give.

So I would love to be the unhinged, confident performer that she is who enjoys dancing so that the audience also enjoys it with me. I would love to retain the purity of my emotions and my basic intention while performing, which is not to impress but to connect.

What made you choose your role in Hai Junoon? How did you prepare for the intense dance sequences and emotional depth required for your character?

I was actually called to audition for Tahira, but just before I entered the audition room, somebody happened to tell me briefly about Munmun. So I requested the director Abhishek Sir, to give me an opportunity to test for Munmun and that's how I bagged the role.

From the get-go, I fell in love with Munmun and her journey because she was going through an identity crisis and when her truth is revealed to everybody in college, she is left with no choice but to accept herself just the way she is and that in turn gives her the confidence and the ability to present herself authentically to the world because that's the only choice she has after her identity is revealed and I knew that a lot of people would relate to it because we all do things just to fit into society, but we don't really have to change who we are. We just have to accept who we are and present ourselves authentically to the world.

So, I loved that responsibility to bring that aspect out of the character in a very real way and in terms of the dance sequences, we had Ruel Sir choreographing it, who is one of the pioneers of hip-hop in the country and we had around 60 to 70 days of rehearsals. It was very challenging and very grueling, but equally enjoyable at the same time.

Did you draw inspiration from anyone or any personal experiences while portraying Munmun?

Well, to be honest, when I auditioned for Munmun, I was given a script which had her monologue that’s in the 10th scene where she comes out with her truth about who she is, where she comes from and why she had to feel the need to steal good clothes to present herself in a certain way to gain the respect of everybody around her in college.

So, while I have been somebody whose basic intention has always been to be as honest and real and authentic as possible, Munmun was absolutely not relatable in that aspect and I think that's what drew me to her.

I wanted to understand what it is in a person that makes you feel the need to do things that don't come naturally to you just to fit into the society and I knew that this is the story of a lot of people and I wanted to explore that. So I took up that challenge and dived right into it and in terms of inspiration, I didn't really have a specific character or a specific person in my mind and none of my personal experiences really resonated with Munmun or Munmun’s experiences didn’t resonate with me. But there was some connect the moment I read that monologue on paper, there was an instant connection with the character and I don't know where that came from. So, while I couldn’t relate to her, I could connect with Munmun a lot and I wanted to tell her story in the most authentic way possible.

You have built an impressive resume with projects like Kaala, CAT, and Dil Dosti Dilemma. How do you choose your roles?

I think this is a combination of two aspects. Initially, when you are starting out as an actor, you don’t really have a lot of choice. You just do your best with whatever opportunities come your way, whatever auditions you get and I think I was very blessed with being given an opportunity to be a part of shows like Cat and Kala. So that was a combination of hard work and luck but towards Dil Dosti Dilemma, I think I chose that project because it was a very good genre shift for me.

It was a young adult theme and a very different world for me to explore as an actor and now going forward in the future, when I am given a choice to choose between projects, I think I would rely highly on my instinct plus what seems challenging to me. Because I love to challenge myself and grow through those challenges and stories that are structured fearlessly and they don't follow a cliched pattern or a structure based on what works. Those kind of stories really draw me. Stories that are intentional with what they are trying to say and the characters and the arcs and the graph are very well layered and written fearlessly. That really clicks.

Congratulations on your debut in the North American series Allegiance! What was that experience like, and how do you see your international exposure impacting your future projects?

Thank you so much. Allegiance was a very powerful experience for me. I think it challenged me in the best way and I enjoyed it a lot. Working on a North American set gave me a fresh perspective on performance, pace and the process. Also, I think international exposure doesn’t just add to your resume, it shifts your approach. It's made me more adaptable and more confident in my voice. And I'm excited to carry that into future projects, wherever they may be.

With Hai Junoon! Currently winning hearts, what’s next for you?

Well, Hai Junoon has been received very well and I am very grateful for all the love that's pouring in for the show and for my character Munmun. Going forward, I am even excited to find out what I will be signing next. As of now, we are in talks but there is nothing that’s signed on paper yet. So I'm also equally excited to find out what the next project will be.