Video jockey and actor Rhea Chakraborty has been the popular host of several shows on MTV. Well known for her 2013 movie “Mere Dad Ki Maruti”, she made her debut with Telugu film “Tuneega Tuneega”. Her role in film “Sonali Cable” last year was wide appreciated.
Rhea is currently in the middle of an upcoming movie “Bank Chor”, starring Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi. The Hindu spoke to the actor about her films, co-stars, Bollywood among other things.
Excerpts from an interview:
On working for MTV, Bollywood and Tollywood.
I started working at the age of 17, and it began with MTV. It’s the coolest channel around. They allowed me to be who I was. Acting is very different from hosting –– the former is about playing a character, while the latter is about being yourself with ease. It was a whole new world for me, and I loved it.
When it comes to working in Bollywood and Tollywood, there is no set contrast. At the end of the day, it's a film. Tollywood was perhaps a little harder because I had to learn Telugu (for “Tuneega Tuneega”), but apart from that, it's all the same - working hard, acting, learning to dance and taking directions.
How has “Sonali Cable” helped you in the industry?
Tell us something On her movie “Sonali Cable”.
“Sonali Cable” was the biggest thing around for me. I had to carry the entire film on my shoulders. I had to actually imbibe the way of life I was portraying. I practically lived in a chawl, travelled by buses and rickshaws and did not meet my friends throughout the shooting period. I learnt a lot about myself as an actor. And the entire film was shot in 40 days, where I’d move from an emotional scene to a happy one, to a love scene to a crime one within the span of, say, eight hours!
Tell us something about On upcoming movie “Bank Chor” and co-stars Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi.
“Bank Chor” is a fun film. I’ve known Bumpy (the director) since his Roadies days, and he is superb. With the exception of stars like Govinda, many don't hit comedy at the right spot, but with this film I think I may have!
Riteish is a very down-to-earth actor. His personal mood never comes across while on camera, and he believes that a scene will only work if everyone is putting the same amount of effort. Vivek is really good actor too. He gets into the skin of the character. I love his voice modulation. Having worked in so many films, he's still so professional!
What does being a Bengali means to her?
Being a Bengali means being extremely passionate. So much of it is about food, Tagore, and Shakespeare, but jokes apart, it's about having a fire burning after something. Bengali culture is an unconventional yet strong part of India. You’ll see that in every household, kids are learning classical singing, dancing or similar since the age of five. I too have learnt Bharatanatyam. That's just the way ‘Bong-land’ is. We keep our culture close to our hearts.
Your coming projects...
I have a film lined up with UTV, the title of which I cannot disclose as yet. And I do have a couple of things in the pipeline but I am not making any official announcement.
