Popular Bengali and Hindi film actor Rituparna Sengupta has taken a step ahead of her contemporaries to bring her humanitarian side into the limelight. Ignoring the superstitions surrounding one’s body, the actress recently announced that she would donate her body after death to the cause of those in need of organ transplants. Here the actor, remembered for her National Award winning performance in the film “Dahan”, talks about this decision and films. Excerpts:
What inspired you to go in for body donation? Given the Hindu orthodox beliefs of cremation after death, did you face any resistance?
I faced a lot of resistance from my family. They were not very happy about it because of the religious bias, but I think anything that could be useful to mankind should be taken care of. As a human being, I’m a very giving kind of a person. In my own small capacity, I try to do as much as I can to help others. So when I die, my ashes won’t be of use to anybody. Instead, my body can be useful — to inject life into others, to give eyes to the blind. This would enhance my purpose of living even after death. I hope others follow the same (route) and make a great contribution to the humankind.
How do manage your simultaneous commitments as you manage yourself as an actor, producer, dancer and social-worker?
This is something I’ve practiced throughout my career. My work demands I multitask and thus, I have to find ways and time to attend to my work. I believe God has given us just one life; we need to make the most of it. Living a purposeless life will not give happiness to you or others. I’ve always wanted to be a woman of substance, giving the society as much as I can.
You have played a wide variety of roles. What criterion decides your scripts?
I always choose scripts keeping in mind how the story is focused — whether on my character or not. Another criterion is what message the film conveys to the society, whether it will have a tremendous impact on the audience or not. It needs to have a positive impact on the society. I keep a very strong opinion of myself when it comes to choosing films. At the end of the day, I realise that the audience expects a lot from me. They need something new and unpredictable every time.
You have worked in Bollywood as well. How has that experience been, and how would you compare the Bengali and the Hindi film industry?
The Hindi film industry experience has been quite pleasant. At the end of the day, the work matters. Both Mumbai and Kolkata have been very kind to me and have treated me equally. I’ve learnt a lot from both these places, and people in both these places have guided me well.
What are your upcoming projects?
The most exciting movie that is about to come is “Tere Aane Se” with Purab Kohli, directed by Agnidev Chatterjee.
It’s a story of a 30-year-old and has a very strong message. Another film is “Extraordi-nari”, a story of an Andhra Pradesh girl who aspires to win a beauty pageant. The other two movies in my bag are “Pati Parameswar” (Bengali) and “Kolkata Junction” (Hindi) with Naseeruddin Shah and Jimmy Shergill.
