Sarita Choudhury Plays a ‘High-Class Dame’ in ‘Sex and City’ Reboot ‘And Just Like That’
- The Indian American actress describes her character in HBO Max limited series as real estate broker that likes the finer things in life.
“And Just Like That,” the highly anticipated reboot of “Sex and the City” premiered its first two episodes on HBO Max last week. HBO says the Dec. 9 launch was the biggest series debut on the video streaming platform. The 10-episode limited series follows best friends Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes) and Kristin Davis Charlotte York in an entirely new chapter of their lives. Missing in the quartet is Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall. But instead, the series is introducing several other actors, including British Indian actress Sarita Chaudhary.
Although she’s not seen in the first two episodes, Chaudhary plays real estate broker Seema Patel, a “high-class dame” that likes the finer things in life. In interviews describing her character in the reboot, Chaudhary notes that Seema is unlike her. “I play a very high-powered boss real estate mogul kind of woman, which I don’t relate to in my real life,” Chaudhury told Forbes. She admitted to have looked at actresses like Katharine Hepburn and “early Sigourney Weaver” for inspiration on “how Seema carries herself.” Seema is seen “initially” in her job, but “as you move along, you get to see a little bit of her personal life,” she told Forbes. “Seema is a very private person, but loud on the outside. And you start seeing that private side toward the end [of the season].”
Speaking to the New York Post about her character, Chaudhury said Seema is “a fancy lady,” who is “high powered,” wears very expensive clothes, has a very strong New York but maybe European flair, is opinionated and is very current as well.” Seema is “on all the apps and has no problem with dating sites. She navigates the world at ease, and speaks her mind — so even if there is a contentious moment, it’s resolved in five minutes.”
She told Forbes that she loves the way she’s introduced in the show. Noting that Seema doesn’t know Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) from before or her past, she has “the permission in a way to kind of breeze in, say the wrong things.” She adds: “I’m not worried about her reaction and I feel like that’s what creates almost in that dissonance, there’s a weird friendship that forms when opposites attract. There’s something fun in that.”
In an interview with Vogue India, Chaudhury citied the reasons why she was attracted to the show, despite being aware that not all reboots can be successful. “The first is that these are the same people, but grown-up. It’s dealing with what it’s like to be in your 50s, and not your 20s or 30s.” Another attraction for her was to work with showrunner Michael Patrick King, and “trsuting him was half battle won,” she said. “Once you have that [trust], you don’t care as much about the outcome because you know your experience is going to be great. Another “notable perk” was being able to share screen time with Sarah Jessica Parker, who Choudhury said “radiates the kind of warmth that makes her instantly likable and endearing.”
Chaudhury was 18 when she was cast in Mira Nair’s iconic 1991 film “Mississippi Masala,” as Meena, opposite Denzel Washington. “It was the first romantic movie that put a South Asian woman opposite an African-American man, and manages, sadly, to hold on to that title to this day.”Vogue India noted. Some of her notable films include “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love,” “Lady in the Water,” “The Accidental Husband,” “Midnight’s Children,” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” among others.