I don’t want to lose grip on Tollywood: Rituparna Sengupta (Interview)

MUMBAI - Bengali film superstar Rituparna Sengupta says she has worked hard to reach where she is and does not want to lose her position in the regional film industry even as she does select films in Hindi and English.

“I have really worked hard for my position and fame. I don’t think I will lose it that easily. I have always devoted equal time and energy to Tollywood (Bengali film industry) because Bengal has always been my forte and it’s very important to me,” Rituparna told IANS in an interview here.

“I have done my regional cinema very meticulously and regarded it above everything. Now regional films are also going places. My film ‘Arohan’ was the only Asian film that went to the Montreal Film Festival.

“So, I think you have to strike a balance and for me work has always been a priority. If it’s good, it’s good everywhere and if it’s bad, it’s bad everywhere,” said Rituparna who divides her time between Kolkata and Mumbai.

The National Award-winning actress, who has starred in serious Bengali films such as “Paromitar Ek Din”, “Utsab” and “Nishijapan” as well as mainstream movies, sometimes finds it difficult to live up to audience expectations.

“It is difficult to cope with the expectations of the audience. The audience had a huge expectation from me in Bengal and now in Hindi also people have started expecting from me because they know I am a senior actor from Bengal.

“There is always room for improvement; so I always invite criticism from my audience,” said Rituparna.

The actor, who did Hindi films like “Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh” (2005), “Love Khichdi” (2009), “Do Knot Disturb” (2009), “Mittal v/s Mittal” (2010) and “Bumm Bumm Bole” (2010), accepts scripts that offer something unique.

“I always think that a new kind of cinema has to be made and I can play something, which the audience has not seen me doing before. The scope of some new expressions and exploration of characters are what I look for while choosing a film. I don’t want to get stereotyped,” said Rituparna.

The 38-year-old doesn’t want to be part of the rat race. “Everyone has his position and identity, which cannot be achieved in the rat race. Everyone has his own standard and capability of proving him or herself,” said Rituparna.

Her just released “And Once Again” - directed by Amol Palekar - has not received rave reviews, but the actress feels one rarely gets to do such sensible films.

“‘And Once Again’ is a wonderful movie, which talks about intense relationships. These kinds of films are not made often. Once in a while, when you get this kind of a subject, you really feel charged to do it,” said Rituparna.

The English language film is the story of a man who loses his wife and child in a violent attack. While trying not to go over the edge, he seeks psychiatric care but just when he feels his life is back to normal, he faces another dilemma.

“It’s about the bonding of beautiful characters through a simple story. Rajat (Kapoor) and I worked earlier together; so there was a certain level of comfort,” she said.

She has quite a few films in queue. “I have a film with Vinay Pathak named ‘S.R.K.’, which is almost ready, I guess. Then I was shooting for ‘Na Jaane Kyun’ with Zeenat Aman and Helenji. Karan Razdan’s ‘Agaha’ is almost complete.”

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)