Alpana Buch refuses to make Baa a cardboard villain
Anupamaa's Alpana Buch says Baa's anger hides fear, and she would fail the role if viewers saw only a villain.
Alpana Buch has a clear rule for playing Baa in Anupamaa: the anger must contain something human. She says fear of change and of being left behind can sit beneath the character's scolding. When a scene had Baa only scolding, her instinct told her the character was also afraid, so she played that fear without changing the dialogue.
Her warning is striking: "If the audience only enjoys Baa as a villain, I have failed her." Baa, she says, can be unfair, but should never be empty.
