Actor-filmmaker Simmer Bhatia, who has been part of shows like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Koi Dil Mein Hai, Kkusum, Salakho Ke Peeche, and movies like Muskaan and Mein Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hun, to name a few, recently released her new short film Pravaah: The Flow, which she has produced, written, and directed.
It’s a short movie that actually has a music video based on it called O Bawaare, sung by Vikas Bhalla and beautifully written and composed by Dhruv Dhalla of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Tere Bin Laden, and the recent Mr. and Mrs. Mahi fame. The music audio is released on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and many other music platforms. The music video is released on Vevo on my channel. The movie is presented by Promod Films, a brand in itself with over 50 years in the film industry. Was humbled to have them on board presenting her short movie.
Simmer says that she was humbled to have them on board presenting her short movie. “I have this extrasensory perception when it comes to the supernatural. I have been experiencing a lot of supernatural events. Since I was in 9th grade, I used to write stories. My first horror story was written when I was in 9th grade. I still have that book somewhere. It was freaky. I wanted to make a supernatural movie one day after my second short film. I wanted to bring to light the real supernatural and not just the gory, which is what we usually see in horror movies,” she said.
That’s how her supernatural feature Night Encounters happened. “This is actually more of a psychological, mind-hitting reality. It’s really different from what you usually see. It was selected as a screenplay finalist in the Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in 2018 and as an official selection in the Indiefest Film Awards in 2018. There were real incidents during the shoot. It was shot in three nights. It was a crazy experience, as nearly everyone had fallen sick during the shoot. It featured Ankur Rathee, Anisa Butt, Sonia Rathee, and others, and was shot in Lonavala. I am in it as an actor too” she added.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Simmer belongs to a business-class family but ended up becoming an actor and filmmaker. She said, “I was a born actor. I was called a drama queen. Ever since my school days, I have loved being in front of the camera. On a serious note, I took drama in school and have loved acting since then. I loved watching all the movies, especially Amitabh Bachchan’s. I used to see movie shoots happening in my society.”
Asked how she got her first project, she said, “After some personal setbacks in 2000 and a phase of depression for nearly two years, I bounced back and decided to try my luck in acting. Coming from a non-filmy background with no contacts, I was still lucky to have done a little work. As I was approaching production houses for serials, ads, and movies, I happened to come across Mr. Vipul Shah when his famous serial Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka was on air on Sony. At that time, they urgently needed a female detective character as an assistant to the late respected Mr. Mohan Bhandari. I remember that as I walked in, he saw me and told his team to cast me. I just gave a two-line audition, and there I got 11 episodes of this popular 1,000-episode running serial on Sony. That’s how my acting journey started,” she added.
When asked about her future plans, Simmer said, “I plan to work on web series and OTT films as a writer, director, or both. Additionally, I would love to act again in something interesting, intense, and psycho.”
