Interview: Rituparna Sengupta
By: Arora Rai
The latest trendy cliché in Bollywood or Hollywood is for an actor to associate with a charity or community service. While all acts of charitable service are well-intentioned and welcome, a select few actually go above and beyond the call of duty and do more than what can ever be asked of them.
Further, every once in a while, that noble charity and selfless humanity spills onto the big screen, and the actor is doing as much for society off-screen as they are on-screen.
Rituparna Sengupta is one such person. A Bengali actress who is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, Rituparna spends quite a bit of time contributing to society as a social worker.
With a strong community service mindset, the beautiful Bengali thespian now finds herself merging her two interests – acting and charity – into one in the just-released film Mittal v/s Mittal.
A courtroom drama revolving around marital rape, Rituparna believes she is making as powerful a statement as the film’s lead role as she does when she wears her social worker hat.
“This is sensitive because it is something against your own husband, but when it crosses all limits, one should take the final step to solve it,” Rituparna said earlier this week about the message in Mittal v/s Mittal. “This movie has sufficient information to solve such kind of problems. One should not succumb to it.”
Such was Rituparna’s attraction to her role – the actress felt as if the film shed light on an issue which people are rarely aware of. As a social worker, she understands the power of cinema and how it can introduce people to an essential issue effecting millions that otherwise would be overlooked through other, less visible mediums.
“I feel the idea was the content of this film, which is very provocative and strong, and there is a message attached to it besides an interesting commercial package. I think the issue of marital rape has never been discussed on public platforms,” she said. “Through this film, we are trying to raise awareness about this ghastly act that is committed in every nook and corner of our country. It’s high time that we raise our voices against this mental and physical torture. It is a delight to work on such subjects.”
As delightful as it was to tackle her role in Mittal v/s Mittal, Rituparna also stated she could not imagine the pain of being a victim of marital rape. Of course, the social worker hopes that her role in the film will help real-life victims gain a sense of empowerment. If the story in Mittal v/s Mittal can help such victims earn justice, then Rituparna feels as if she has done her duty as both an actress and an activist.
“I would have felt something like this (is) horrifying!! And I do feel sympathetic about such victims,” the actress emphatically said. “It is necessary for the women of today to stand up and not succumb to their miseries.”
To that end, the actress said that playing the role of Mitali Mittal was rather difficult, though it was totally worth it, considering the film’s greater purpose.
“I won’t say my role was a cakewalk for me. But, as I already told you, for me, the subject matter of the film was my biggest concern,” Rituparna said. “My personal inhibitions never surfaced because I was too involved with my character. I felt I am speaking for a larger public through my act, and this kept the comfort level going while performing some intimate scenes. Moreover, as an actor, I have always surpassed my personal likes and dislikes. Once I chose to do a film, I will always remain embedded in my character and not in myself.”
With that, Rituparna wants to keep challenging her creative side and pursue roles in the future that help her elevate to higher levels.
“I have done a lot of such roles. I have done Dahan, Main Meri Patni Aur Woh, and now there is Mitali Mittal’s character in Mittal v/s Mittal, but I would say the best is yet to come,” the actress humbly confessed.
For the sake of community service and empowering the powerless, let us indeed hope the best is yet to come.
Mittal v/s Mittal is now playing.
