“I Understand Her Darkness, I Don’t Agree With It”: Snehlata Vasaikar Gets Unfiltered On Playing Suman

After slowly tightening its grip on viewers, Vashikaranam has found its most compelling force in Suman, a character who does not scream for authority but quietly owns it. Played with unsettling calm by Snehlata Vasaikar, Suman has sparked conversations that go far beyond the usual television chatter.

What makes her fascinating is not just what she does, but how she makes you feel while doing it. There is discomfort, curiosity, and a strange sense of recognition. In this candid conversation, Snehlata opens up about control, morality, and the emotional discipline required to step into Suman’s world without losing herself in it.

In an exclusive conversation with India Forums, we asked Snehlata about the varied emotions she feels while playing Suman, leaving the character before returning home and other things.

Q. Suman doesn’t ask for control; she takes it. In real life, what’s the closest you’ve come to manipulating a situation without people realizing it?

I wouldn’t define it as manipulation, honestly. I feel intention makes all the difference. In real life, I believe more in understanding a situation than controlling it.

As actors, we naturally become very observant. We start reading people beyond what they say. Their pauses, their tone, even their silence tells you something. So yes, there are moments where you might guide a situation subtly, but it comes from awareness, not from a desire to dominate.

Suman is very different in that sense. For her, control is everything. It is not just a trait, it is almost a survival instinct. She believes that if she is not in control, she is vulnerable.

Personally, I don’t function like that. I believe in balance. I feel that what is meant for you will come to you if you are prepared for it. There is no need to force situations or people.

Q. Be honest, while playing Suman, did you ever secretly agree with her darkest decisions?

As an actor, you cannot judge your character. If you start judging, you lose honesty in your performance because you are no longer playing the truth of that person.

While playing Suman, I completely step into her mindset. I try to understand where she is coming from, what she is feeling, and why she makes the choices she does, even when those choices are dark.

But understanding and agreeing are very different things. As Snehlata, I don’t agree with those decisions at all. There are moments where you feel disturbed by what she does, but that is the point.

My responsibility is not to justify her actions. My responsibility is to make them believable and emotionally real so that the audience can experience that discomfort.

Q. Is Suman misunderstood… or are we just uncomfortable admitting we’d do the same things if we had her power?

Suman is definitely not a one-dimensional character. There is a lot of emotional and psychological depth to her, and that is what makes her so engaging to play.

At the same time, I think as human beings, we are not always comfortable confronting our own darker instincts. We like to believe that we would always make the right choices, but power has a way of revealing who you really are.

Power doesn’t change you, it amplifies you.

So I wouldn’t say everyone would behave like Suman, but she does make you introspect. She pushes you to think about your own limits, your own boundaries, and how far you would go in certain situations.

Q. Do you think playing someone like Suman changes you a little as a person… even after pack-up?

Every character leaves something with you, and Suman has definitely made me more aware of human behaviour and emotional dynamics.

But I am very conscious about switching off once I pack up. I don’t carry the character home with me because that can become very overwhelming, especially with roles that are emotionally intense.

For me, balance is very important. I take the learning from the character, but I don’t take the darkness.

What stays with me is the understanding. It helps me grow not just as an actor but also as a person.

Suman may be fictional, but the questions she raises are very real. And through Snehlata’s performance, she becomes less of a character and more of a mirror you cannot easily look away from.