Sandhya Mridul: Nobody wants to accept the dark and the difficult, not-so-pretty moments

The Australian High Commission recently hosted an interactive session with actor and author Sandhya Mridul. In conversation with Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, Sandhya spoke about her debut poetry collection, Untamed —a deeply personal work that reflects on her life experiences, a slice of her life that explores themes of healing, self-discovery, grief and love. “This book really comes from the heart. It speaks to the dark and the difficult,” said Sandhya, as she read out one of her poems.‘THIS BOOK MADE ME COME BACK TO MYSELF’Talking about how it all began, Sandhya shared, “It started for me as an expression of everything I was feeling. I didn’t imagine at that point that it (her writing) could reach anyone beyond myself and a few very close people. It very organically became a book. It began with crying and healing alone – and then I decided to heal out loud. I just felt that in the collective energy of the world – going through so much loss in these last five years and the pandemic magnified it. People are so scared to express themselves, and I wanted to be the person who takes that step forward – who removes the shame and guilt from expression. All of us enjoy joyous, happy things, but nobody wants to accept the dark and the difficult, the not-so-pretty moments.”When asked if writing the book has healed her, Sandhya replied, “It has, tremendously. Because anything shared gets divided. And so many people resonated with it… they came to me and spoke about their grief. This became a space for sharing. What started as a book for me became a book for others.She added,“It is important to connect to people. That’s what I learned through acting. I was never playing a part – I was just being that person. And this book made me come back to who I was, to who I really am.”‘I work with people who respect the craft and me’When asked if she would change anything about her journey in the film industry, she said, “No.” “I’m still doing the work on my own terms. The work that’s meant for me comes to me. I just wanted to do my work, and in one of my earliest interviews, I had said that at the end of the day, I want people to say, ‘She is a good actor.’ I work with people who respect the craft, who respect me – and vice versa,” said the Page 3 actress.