Rituparna Sengupta wants to achieve the same kind of fame & adulation in Mumbai that she enjoys in Kolkata.Q*. Do you still take yourself as an outsider in this industry?
No. There were teething problems, but I’ve settled in...I guess it took me time to understand the difference between Kolkata and Mumbai industries. I am a brand over there and I want the same status here too.
Q*. A brand name in Mumbai too?
Absolutely. People in Kolkata know me well for both commercial and art cinema. I want to attain the same status here and I believe I can get it by a combination of my approach towards both commercial films as well as art films. I am trying my best.
Q*. You did your first film in Hindi ‘Main Meri Patni Aur Woh’ almost four years back and still you are struggling for your recognition. What do you think is the reason?
I chose the right film, but it’s not my fault that it didn’t work at the box office. Similarly, take for example, ‘Gauri, the Unborn’, which is based on the contemporary topic of abortion or ‘Sirf Life’ is Greener on the Other Side.
Both the films had stars like Atul Kulkarni, Manisha Koirala, Kay Kay Menon, Nauhid Cyrusi, Ranvir Shorey, Sonali Kulkarni, Parvin Dabas, still these didn’t appeal to the audience, so it’s just luck. I think I have to be doubly cautious in choosing films!
Q*. Don’t you ever think that despite being a National Award winner, you are wasting your energy in striving for a good role in Bollywood!
No, I don’t think that I am wasting my energy but I surely feel bad. Again, such thoughts are temporary, I understand that success is the aftermath of struggle and it becomes ephemeral for people who get it easily.
Q*. Most of your films show the problems with women. Is it merely a co-incident?
Even I don’t know it! Maybe my directors feel that I can portray such characters better. It’s not the case with Mumbai, this Bengali film, ‘Trishna’ that I’m doing now has me portraying several shades.
Q*. Item songs are quite an easy way to get a place in Bollywood. Why didn’t you try for any such number yet?
Because no one has yet offered me one! If offered, I’ll definitely do an item number. I don’t think there is anything wrong in it.
Q*. Have you marked any limit beyond which you won’t go for any character?
There are always lines which are never meant to be crossed. I accept only those characters that appeal to me the most and can satisfy the actor in me. I am not like other heroines who throw tantrums or make a fuss about the kissing or bikini act.
Q*. It’s very natural phenomena that audiences take actresses like goddesses. Don’t you think that showing skin can hurt their feelings?
I am open to any kind of criticism if they feel like. Criticism is good because it helps finding the faults in me.
Q*. Which will be the recent release among your films?
It’s Warner Brothers’ SRK which is directed by Ajay Verma. It’s an emotional comedy. I am playing my best ever character in this film named Vidya. There’s Vinay Pathak with me, Illaya Raja has given the music and Gulzar has penned the lyrics.
Q*. What does SRK stand for?
That’s a secret.
Q*. Tell us about your forthcoming films.
There’s Karan Razdan’s ‘Mittal Versus Mittal’ based on marital rape, Anjan Dutta’s political thriller ‘BBD’, ‘Main Osama’ where I play an air hostess, ‘Saab Chai Pani’, ‘Paroksh’ has me as an ambitious corporate woman, ‘Love Khichdi’ and ‘Dard-E-Disco’ are comedies, and besides this, there are Bengali films including Suman Mukherjee’s ‘Chaturango’. It’s based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore.
