For Chetna Pande, playing Sunheri in Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past became much more than just another acting assignment. The role arrived at a time when she was dealing with one of the most difficult phases of her personal life, making the experience deeply emotional and unexpectedly personal.
Opening up about preparing for the character, Chetna says, “I honestly feel life prepared me for this role more than anything else. When I started shooting the film, I was going through a very difficult phase personally. I was emotionally shattered and mentally disturbed. Looking back now, I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes life puts you through hardships because it is preparing you for something meaningful, even if you don’t realise it at that moment.”
She adds that the emotions she was carrying within herself naturally became a part of her performance, allowing her to connect with Sunheri in a very real way.
“The most emotional and challenging period of my life happened at the same time we were shooting this film. In many ways, my own journey reflected Sunheri’s journey. I didn’t have to search for emotions because I was living them every single day. I simply drew from my own experiences and channelled all that pain into the character. Whatever I was feeling inside became a part of Sunheri’s story, and that made the performance very honest for me,” she says.
Talking about what made her instantly say yes to the film, Chetna says working with filmmaker Vikram Bhatt was reason enough.
“The moment I heard that Mr. Vikram Bhatt was directing the film, I was excited. He has been one of the biggest names in Indian horror cinema and has created films that audiences still remember. He introduced a different style of horror, and Haunted became one of the landmark horror films in India. Even today, people continue talking about it, its music, and its story. That kind of impact is very rare.”
She also believes that creating stories that stay with audiences for years has become increasingly difficult in today’s fast-paced world.
“Today, people’s attention spans have become so short that many don’t even finish watching a small video. In such a time, for a film to remain in people’s hearts for years is something truly special. That only happens when a story genuinely connects with audiences. I think that’s the kind of magic Haunted created, and it’s the reason people still remember it with so much love,” she says.
