Mumbai : Actress Saba Azad, seen in the newly released streaming film Songs of Paradise, has opened up about the challenges of mastering the Kashmiri accent for her role.
Inspired by the life of Padma Shri awardee Raj Begum, the film spans two time periods, with Saba Azad and Soni Razdan portraying the lead character. The story provides a glimpse into the inspiring journey of the legendary Kashmiri singer.
Speaking to IANS during promotions, Saba Azad shared that while she was familiar with Kashmiri phonetics as a voice artiste, the role required the specific accent of Srinagar, which was not easy to perfect.
“It wasn’t a cakewalk, there was definitely a challenge. Everyone has heard the accent, but the real task was not going overboard. I was more familiar with another regional version of the accent, and Danish (the director) constantly guided me back to the right tone,” she revealed.
The actress further explained that India’s linguistic diversity often leads to subconscious familiarity with accents, but fine-tuning them for authenticity in films is demanding.
“It was very enjoyable for me. I really loved sinking my teeth into it and I honestly want more such work for all actors,” Saba added.
Songs of Paradise, presented by Excel Entertainment and produced by Apple Tree Pictures Production and Renzu Films, is now streaming on Prime Video.