I don’t think I was ever at the top of my game. It is yet to happen,” confesses actor Sonali Bendre, who is back with the second season of ZEE5’s web series, The Broken News. An adaptation of popular British series Press, the show explores the world of broadcast journalism and its profound impact on the political and social discourse in the country.
In a world that veers towards TRP, clickbait headlines, and fake news over credibility, Bendre plays Amina Qureshi, a self-righteous and principled editor-in-chief of a news channel. In her fight for the truth, she is pitted against the ruthless Dipanker Sanyal (Jaideep Alhawat) who heads a rival news channel. The actor says being on the other side was an eye-opener.
Describing the show as a reflection of the reality of our times, she says it holds up a mirror to our society. “As a celebrity, one does have a love-hate relationship with the media. Playing Amina has been a revelation because one gets to see what goes behind the scenes at a media house.
I loved the fact that these are human stories and my character has a strong voice and conviction. Also as an actor, I like to try new things. I was drawn to Amina because of how much she loves her profession and how she continues to adapt and evolve even at the peak of her game.
She imparts hope and that’s what I loved.” Like many of her colleagues from the 90s, Bendre too had her fair share of experience with yellow journalism. She reveals that she has been misunderstood .
