Rituparna Sengupta has reigned over the silver screen for over two decades. Though she started off as an actor, she went on to become a producer and has worked in Hindi and Malayalam films. She recently wrapped up the shooting in Wayanad for the Bengali-Malayalam film, Goodbye Mountain.
The actor, who has a huge list of awards to her name including the National Award for her performance in Dahan, spoke to Metroplus while making a pitstop in Bengaluru on her way back home from Wayanad.
Edited excerpts
You were here for The Bengaluru Fashion Week. What was your takeaway from it?
It was interesting as you get to see many new designers and their works. I also believe that cinema and fashion go hand-in-hand as costumes play a major role in cinema. By attending fashion shows, I as an actor, learn about current trends, which helps me keep abreast of what is new each day as fashion too is constantly evolving. I attend fashion shows that happen all over the world to learn about the colours, presentation and concepts. There is so much to discover and see. I am also in Bengaluru visiting friends in Whitefield who are organising a small concert, for my husband, Sanjay Chakrabarty, who will play the sarod. Since I am always on the move, I decided to just take a short break here and just chill out.
You are now acting with Victor Banerjee in Akorik...
I am thrilled to be working with an actor of international repute like Victor. This is my fifth film with him and every role has been a learning experience for me. Akorik is directed by Thathagata and follows the journey of a woman and her young son, struggling to bring up her child alone. They befriend an elderly couple, and when her son gets attached to the couple, the woman fears she will lose him to them. The film deals with complex human emotions and I am looking forward to its release.
How different is the Bengali film industry from the other industries you have worked in?
I believe films have a universal language and appeal, irrespective of which part of the country or world they come from. For instance, I may watch a Korean film, and identify with the story or a character. As an actor, one should not be bound by language or place. As long as you can emote, language can be overcome. I am emotional about every character I portray on screen and look for stories with topics relevant to the present day. Malayalam and Bengali films are similar, when it comes to the subject and characters. There are interesting nuances that the stories deal with and a lot of natural emotions come into play. Such films carve their own path, which is different from the many commercial films that are also made in large numbers.
Any Hindi movies in the pipeline?
I am now working in a Hindi film with Deepak Tijori called Ittar. It is a mature love story. We are ready with the film and awaiting its release. I also have a film with Arbaaz Khan and Mahesh Manjrekar. Then there is a horror thriller Bansuri: The Flute, which has also stars Anurag Kashyap.
What about Kannada films?
I would love to act here too if a good story comes my way. Not many remember that decades ago, I did share the screen with the legendary actor, Vishnuvardhan ji, in a Kannada film directed by Vijay Reddy. I was very young, practically a novice at that time. That was my tiny jaunt with Kannada films. I love this industry and I have friends here including Priyanka Upendra . She is Bengali and has does exceptionally well here. Her husband, Upendra is a huge star. There have been many interesting films that the Kannada industry has brought out too. I may have been away from the Kannada industry, but as a member of the film fraternity, I always kept up with the happenings here. I follow actors here, including our beloved Puneeth, whose death I personally mourned. The connection between industries is always there as actors and colleagues.
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