Chitrangada Satarupa has done some fine work in Hindi and Bengali cinema and now she’s all set to show her acting prowess in Main Actor Nahin Hoon. It’s a special year for her – while the slice-of-life releases on May 8, she gave birth to her son, Anhad, on March 27. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the charming and talented actress spoke about her film, the new chapter in her life and a lot more.
Firstly, congratulations. I hope you and the baby are doing great…
Thank you (smiles). And yes, we both are fine. It’s a very new experience. I had heard that emotions change overnight after having a baby. You don’t realize unless you go through it.
How did you bag Main Actor Nahin Hoon? I believe you have worked extensively with its director, Aditya Kripalani…
Yes, I worked with Aditya in his first film, Tikli And Laxmi Bomb (2017). That was my first Hindi film too. I bagged that role through an audition. They were looking for an actor who was Bengali and of a certain age group. After auditioning many people, he found me through Facebook. It was a unique experience working with him and bagging the role. Eventually, we collaborated on multiple projects.
Two years back, he reached out to me. It’s been a while since we last worked. He told me that he was doing a film with Nawaz sir. He expressed the desire to audition me for the female key part. I asked him, ‘I have worked with you so many times; still, I need to audition?’ (laughs). He explained that it was important that I audition.
The good thing is that he sends the entire script to the actors who are auditioning, and that’s quite rare in our industry. That gives us a perspective on what the character is, rather than giving us just 2-3 different scenes through which we may not fully comprehend the context. With a full script, you understand the premise, where she’s coming from and how to build the character.
Initially, I was excited about the film as it was going to give me a chance to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. But after reading the script, that reason became secondary. The script was engaging and well-written. I could relate to it as it’s the character of an artist and it moved me a lot.
I gave the audition. I remember prepping for it for a good 3-4 days because I was determined to give a really good audition. I enjoyed the whole process and thankfully, everything worked out. In fact, he hasn’t shared this with me, but I can tell you that initially, there were other financiers and co-producers. They had some conditions about the casting. But since he was determined to cast me, he decided to go ahead and produce it himself. I learned this from a crewmember.
I am really happy and grateful that there are people who are non-biased and take a stand rather than compromise. It helps artists like us to get that break. Someone needs to trust us and give us that platform.
How was it shooting the film, since it involves the two main characters communicating through video call?
The shooting process was nice but also challenging as it was shot across two cities, that too live. I was in Mumbai while Nawaz sir was in Frankfurt. Everytime, a unit member would say ‘Action’ over here and in Frankfurt as well. We would also match the time zone of both cities. That’s how the call times were planned. It felt like doing theatre because we were doing long takes. Also, it’s a very verbose film.
As for Nawaz sir, he’s an absolute genius. When you read on paper, the character seems quite subtle and doesn’t have gimmicks and loud gestures, which are usually considered by people as prerequisites for a performance. However, Nawaz sir kept his act very minimal and yet, he added certain nuances very subtly. That also pushed me and helped me in bringing the nastiness to my character!
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Was it tough to be nasty to Nawazuddin Siddiqui?
I was a little awkward about it. He’s been my most favourite actor and I am not saying that because I am a part of the film. Over the call, I am not just being nasty but even bullying him. I wondered how I’d do it. Aditya purposely didn’t make us meet before. I feared, ‘Nawaz sir must be hating me because he must be thinking that this is how I am in real life too’ (laughs). There’s a scene in the film where my character goes to Germany. That’s when I finally met him. They say that you should not meet your heroes. However, he turned out to be such a good colleague. He would debate and discuss films. He once told Aditya ‘I don’t agree with you’; yet, the debate was very healthy. They would constantly talk about acting, cinema, art etc. He never told me ‘You should do this’ or ‘You should do that’.
The day we landed in Mumbai, he offered to drop me home. On the way, he told his manager, ‘This is my co-star Chitrangada. She’s such a fabulous actor. I rarely come across such a committed and nuanced performer’. I was over the moon!
I believe this is your first theatrical release in Hindi…
That’s correct. I am having a little bit of FOMO since I am in Kolkata. Hence, I’ll be unable to be there during the release. But it’s okay. I have also had a big release in my life (laughs). So, I can’t complain.
It's rare for a film of this kind to get a theatrical release in today’s times…
Yes. I remember more than 10 years ago, films like The Lunchbox (2013), which were about human relationships, used to release in cinemas. Main Actor Nahin Hoon is on the same lines. It’s been a while since we've had stories like this. Those who miss that cinema would really enjoy our film. Like, I miss this cinema. If I was not acting in this film, I would have definitely gone to the cinemas to catch Main Actor Nahin Hoon. It may seem that it’s about acting and craft. However, it’s so much more – it touches upon human equation, mental health, loneliness etc. These emotional aspects are a big part of our lives. But somehow, in mainstream cinema, we tend to miss out on these things.
In the teaser of Main Actor Nahin Hoon, your character complains about actors being compelled to work on their Instagram following. It is often said that nowadays, the number of followers is also considered before finalizing an actor. Is that true?
(Laughs) It is true, unfortunately, though not for all projects. But for many auditions, we have been asked to share our Instagram profile. They may not ask directly. I remember that during Tikli And Laxmi Bomb, a film festival team wanted to know the Instagram handle of me and my co-star, Vibhawari Deshpande. I was very surprised. Film festivals are supposed to present cinema which is not accessible to common people. Then, why are our followers so important? I think Aditya didn’t send our film to that particular festival. We were all offended.
People have been vocal about it. Some of my friends, who are working in certain production houses, have revealed how casting happens. They said that sometimes, the client wants a model or actor who has more than 1 million followers. Ab itne followers paane ke liye toh bahut kuch karna padega (laughs). People who are younger can probably figure it out. But after a point, you don’t have the bandwidth to do this.
Casting someone based on the followers is a little lame because people are following you for your GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos or such other content. They are not going to go and watch your show or film because that audience is very different. It’s the filmmakers who are being shallow and impractical, not the people who are making content.
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