'Chiraiya' actress Prasanna Bisht reveals personal harassment experience shaped her role: 'Something happened with me'

The recent web series ‘Chiraiya’, led by Divya Dutta, Sanjay Mishra, and Prasanna Bisht, has ignited discussions around issues like sexual harassment, consent, marital rape, and victim blaming.

Prasanna, who portrays Pooja, a newlywed navigating marital abuse, opened up about the emotional weight of the role and how real-life experiences shaped her performance.

Prasanna Bisht's personal experience enhanced her performance

Speaking about how she tapped into Pooja’s psyche, Prasanna shared with Mid-Day, "Something happened with me before I got the show. I faced something during the shoot. I had invested so much of my emotions and my time in a project that I was emotionally connected to.

And there was this person who crossed their limits. When I spoke about it in front of the team, I thought the team would back me up on that. But they started quoting me as a problem.

They titled me as somebody who was creating problems on set, just because I spoke up for myself."Bisht further added, "So I think that experience really helped me. I think I was just portraying what I went through. That's how I could relate to the character more."

Elaborating on stepping into such a heavy narrative, the actor shared, "It's the trauma that we all have seen. It's the experiences that we all have faced as women. And I have seen it happening around me, with me. So, of course, it was very dark, and it was very heavy." Despite the emotional toll, she remained committed to the craft. "I feel like I'm an actor, and if somehow my five-minute trauma, if I live it again and it empowers people, then I'll do that again and again," she said.Among the many intense moments in ‘Chiraiya’, one sequence stayed with her long after the shoot. Recalling it, she said, "Yeah, it happened when there's a scene where I go, and I try to speak to my mother and she tells me to go back. She doesn't help me, she doesn't listen to me. She was not ready to accept that something like this could even exist."Bisht continued, "And even if it does, then she just wants me to sacrifice myself, my body, so that my father-in-law can help my brother with his job and other things."

Prasanna Bisht's take on family's silence and reality

Referencing her earlier work in ‘Farrey’, Prasanna reflected on how her personal upbringing contrasted with the character’s reality. "So, that kind of stayed with me because I think I come from a family where my mother and father have always taught me to be independent. They are very supportive. Even though there were times that I was not able to speak to them about sexual harassment because I think there's something with Indian families, they don't even talk about it.

"Bisht added, "When I did that scene, then I realised that there are so many parents out there who don't even support their daughters. And that completely shattered me."

More about 'Chiraiya'

This eye-opening series is streaming on JioHotstar. The story revolves around Kamlesh (Divya Dutta), a seemingly ideal daughter-in-law whose life takes a drastic turn when she uncovers the harsh reality of abuse within her family. The show highlights issues like marital consent and societal pressure, presenting a hard-hitting narrative. There are a total of 6 episodes in the series.