She is tired and a tad irritated with the way she has been literally hounded by the media in Kolkata.
And that too, when she wasn’t in the loop about having to address the press during her visit to the city to promote Dance Premier League. But a few minutes into the
conversation and she is happy talking about her movies and her priorities both in professional and personal world.
Are you doing Chimera, the Hollywood film with Billy Zane?
No, I am not doing the Billy Zane movie. I’ll not discuss anything about why I took this decision since doing that would mean giving more media attention to this issue.
But you are doing Mani Ratnam’s Raavan where you play Abhishek’s wife...
Yes, I’m doing Raavan. But I haven’t begun shooting as yet and hence, can’t disclose anything further. All I can say is that I’ve enjoyed his films and will shoot it after my schedule for Priyadarshan’s movie.
Priyadarshan and Mani Ratnam are among the very few directors in India who have got both critical and commercial acclaim. How do you think they manage to strike this balance?
That’s what I appreciate about them. I am waiting to watch Kanjeevaram. It’s far more difficult for me to do an unreal film and entertain people. Beedi jalaile was tough for me. Neither am I a great dancer nor have I ever been exposed to the rural world of entertainment that was where my character in Omkara belonged. And yet, I had to put up a convincing act. Actors have to be responsible in getting the audience since so much of money is at stake. But things are different for serious cinema. There is freedom to work. Priyadarshan agreed with me when I shared this view. He said it’s tougher to cater to other’s fantasy. Kanjeevaram, in contrast, gave him the freedom to be himself.
Many acclaimed directors believe that they can even make a tree act and the credit for an actor’s good performance rests on the director’s vision and how he moulds the actor to suit the role to perfection...
A good director will never hire a tree because he knows that the right casting is very important for a film. But yes, on a certain level, every actor is a puppet in a director’s hand. If a director has clarity, I can do everything.
How much of what you’ve done in Shob Charitro Kalponik is because of Rituparno Ghosh’s vision?
I trust his vision to cast me in a role that’s not what I’m associated with in films. Carrying myself in cotton saris, having a distinctive body language and expressing an emotion of falling in love with one’s husband after his death — these are things that I haven’t experienced ever. Everything went off so effortlessly. I have got congratulatory calls from uncles who have seen me during my childhood. The only hitch is my dubbed voice. That’s where I feel the film doesn’t have the whole of me. I want to dub for the National Award print.
But won’t that also mean having to get a separate Censor certificate for your dubbed version? Is it possible to get two Censor certificates for the same film?
I am not aware of the details involving double film certification. But when I discussed this issue, I was told it wouldn’t be a problem.
Your SCK co-star, Prosenjit, has been consciously reinventing himself in his recent films (read SAC and Houseful). Do you think he should also be doing Bollywood films?
It’s great that he is reinventing himself. It’s hard to get such roles and films in Mumbai. If there was any need for him to move, he would have done it earlier. Now, it might be a little late to venture out. Besides, he is a superstar here and has earned so much of love and respect with his body of work.
SCK, Pankh, Lamhaa — all three films of yours have you in serious roles. How do you say no to scripts that will now tend to cash in on your serious avatar?
I do three films a year, but I hear all the scripts. I okay a script impulsively. Some might think that I’m arrogant since I say no immediately if I don’t want to do a film, but I believe in not wasting time to say that I’ll not do a film. Myopia exists in the industry and once they see an actor excelling in a particular role, similar roles are offered. Tabu is such a fabulous actor and a very nice human being. I just loved her performance in films like The Namesake and Maqbool. Despite her talent, she isn’t doing that many films now. It’s important for me to strike a balance and be versatile. I’ve realized that women themselves don’t want to watch women-oriented films. I love a SCK and a Lamhaa as much as I love doing All the Best.
Do you personally like watching comedies?
John and I love watching comedies. My favourite is Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. Hera Pheri was a cult film. A light film like No Entry is the most watched film on television. All The Best is a situational comedy. With our hectic lifestyle, it’s important for us to just distress and laugh. All The Best is just that kind of a movie.
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