If I can model the rest of my career on what I was able to accomplish in Call Me Bae, I’ll be very happy,” begins Lisa Mishra, as we get on a call with her. The singer has made her acting debut with the Ananya Panday-led web series. Was it tough to switch gears to acting? It was all about prepping hard, says Mishra. “I did quite a few workshops with our director [Collin D’Cunha]. Being the least experienced actor on the set, I knew I had a big responsibility. So, I took my acting lessons seriously. The most challenging aspect is that I have designed my music career in such a way that I have a lot of control—I am composing, writing and singing on my own terms. I’m calling the shots through and through. In acting, I had to relinquish a lot of that [and surrender] to the vision of the director, writer and producers,” she reflects.
In the Prime Video series, Mishra plays the producer of a primetime news show that is hosted by the channel’s popular anchor Satyajit, essayed by Vir Das. The actor says she borrowed from her real-life experiences to portray a talented woman fighting for her place in a male-dominated industry.
Mishra said, “I see a lot of myself in Harleen. I used to work as a data analyst. My team was all-male, barring me, and every meeting was male-dominated. I’ve been in positions where my opinion has been snubbed, or men have got credit for my work, which happens between Harleen and Satyajit. So, I had to bring a little bit of my old self on screen.” Next up, she will feature in The Royals, led by Zeenat Aman, Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter. “[I felt] the pressure to perform well. These are incredibly talented actors and the best of many generations in one project. Sharing the room with them and watching them being so brilliant pushed me to be a better performer.”