In a freewheeling conversation with Businessofcinema.com Chitrangada sets things straight and shares her experience on working in Sorry Bhai, her forthcoming film.
Excerpts:
Tell is a bit about your role in Sorry Bhai.
I play Aaliyah in the film, a girl next door. She’s in Mauritius studying films there and she’s been in a relationship for about five years. She’s not sure if she really wants to get married, but the guy feels that it has been five long years. Aaliyah is still in two minds when the family comes over and she meets his younger brother. And that’s where the complication starts actually. So my character is someone who is extremely indecisive and complicated in the beginning but by the end of the film is someone who is very honest about the way she feels. The best way to put would be to say my character is that of a contemporary woman.
Surely you got tons of offers much before Sorry Bhai, so why wait this long? You know honestly I was away for about three years. At that time I had changed my numbers and I was completely out of touch with everybody. I was getting a few offers and they sort of thinned down and dried out because nobody had my number, so pretty much there was no contact. In the meanwhile I was pretty sure I wanted to get back, I was like this is what I wanted to do. It was such timing, that’s when Onir called so I said yeah and it worked out.
So really why did you stay away from films?
I loved acting then. I didn’t leave acting, I left the industry because I didn’t know how to go about it. I was just scared, I didn’t know how do you manage the PR, how do you meet the right people, how to get around things; I didn’t know any of it.
So now you think you are ready?
Yes I think so. I think the switch is just in your head. When you miss something so much then you are ready to do what it takes to get there. Three years is a long time for me to realize how badly I want to be an actress and now that I am back I am ready to work hard for it and learn the ropes. I want to just enjoy doing good films and work with good directors.
First there was HKA, then Kal and now Sorry Bhai. We see you doing films that for ease can be called the art house genre or parallel cinema, why such films?
I don’t understand if it becomes a parallel, commercial or in-between film. I just want a good script. I just look for a good director to manage the good film. I might not look for a banner or a big star. The problem is if you wait for that it just takes forever for things to come around. I want to be acting; I get my joy from that. Maybe it is a bad plan but that’s how I want to be going about it.
So what next, after a Sorry Bhai?
I am again working with Sudhir for his film Aur Devdas that we thought of doing before Sorry Bhai. I play Chandramukhi in the film and it’s a present day take. I am a socialite and I am the one pulling a few strings making things happen. We start shooting for it on 16 January and I am looking forward to that next.
