After years away from the screen, actress Celina Jaitly is set to play the role of Sister Nivedita in an upcoming Ram Kamal Mukherjee-directed yet-to-be-titled biopic, she confirmed in a recent interview.
During a conversation with the Hindustan Times, Jaitly described the project as “one of the most deeply personal journeys” of her career.
“Working with a visionary filmmaker like Ram is unlike any other acting experience for me. With directors of his calibre, you don’t merely perform a character, you surrender yourself to becoming the soul of that era,” Jaitly added.
According to Jaitly, her bond with Sister Nivedita dates back years, well before she was cast in the upcoming biopic.
Recalling her early years in West Bengal, Jaitly said “My father was posted in Binaguri in West Bengal. My parents and I would often travel to Darjeeling with military convoys, and one of the places where we often stopped was Roy Villa, where Sister Nivedita spent her last days.”
“My parents would walk around the grounds, and even military convoys would pause there to take in the breathtaking energy and view of Roy Villa. Looking back, I realise something about the place always moved me,” she added.
“I had no idea that one day, far in the future, I would be the chosen one. I now feel perhaps it was Sister Nivedita herself calling this young girl who studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya,” Jaitly noted.
Jaitly believes portraying Sister Nivedita is “less like a role and more like answering a calling.”
“What moves me most about Sister Nivedita is that she was not born in India, yet she chose India in every fiber of her being. She dedicated herself completely to a civilisation, its people, its spiritual philosophy, and above all, its mission. She merely didn't admire India, she lived for India.”
Jaitly said her return to India after fifteen years in Europe and her rediscovery of her roots made her feel destined to portray Sister Nivedita.