Tollywood actress Ritabhari Chakraborty recently recalled breaking filmmaker Srijit Mukherji’s heart when she was 24, leading to a communication gap between them for eight years.
Speaking on a podcast with former lifestyle journalist Sreemoyee Piu, she admitted that she had not handled the situation with the dignity it deserved.
“I had not given any statement then. There was a lot of speculation. Back then I broke his heart. I did break his heart. I am not proud of it. I could have adjusted better,” said Ritabhari.
“For many years I thought he hated me. What I did was really bad. But, there was no cheating. I don’t care who says what but the way I addressed it was wrong,” she added.
Ritabhari further shared that Srijit was the one to initiate their reconciliation by sending her a humorous text when rumours about her marriage to Dr. Tathagata Chatterjee surfaced on social media last year.
“We are again at a space where we feel good being around each other, we feel good about being friends,” said the 30-year-old actress.
Ritabhari, who worked with Srijit on the 2014 film Chotushkone, also spoke fondly of him. “My mother and I are fond of him. He is like a family member. He is very intelligent, witty, and deeply passionate about his work — ready to give up his life for his picture. He is also a fantastic companion at a dinner table,” she said.
Srijit Mukherji made his directorial debut with Autograph in 2010, and followed it up with the cult classic Baishe Srabon in 2011. He has also directed National Award-winning films like Jaatishwar, Chotushkone, Ek Je Chhilo Raja, and Gumnaami. He received critical acclaim for his latest Bengali film Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei.
Srijit was seen at Ritabhari’s calendar shoot earlier this year.
On the podcast, Ritabhari also opened up about suffering from recurring depression since the age of 15 and dealing with “alcohol trauma.”
“The smell of raw alcohol disturbs me. I cannot take it,” said Ritabhari, sharing that her biological father Utpalendu Chakrabarty was a chronic alcoholic who often subjected her mother Satarupa Sanyal to domestic violence.
However, when he hit a three-year-old Ritabhari, her mother decided to step out of the marriage. “The olfactory trigger reminds me of traumas that I don’t wish to look back at,” she said.
Ritabhari spoke about the financial struggles her family faced when her mother had little money to afford supplements for her. Her grandparents played a crucial role in helping her mother, Satarupa, rebuild her career in a then “patriarchal industry.” “She is the phoenix I feel inspired by.”
Talking about her upcoming film Grihostho, she said, “It does not look like five other films. It is an experimental film. I am grateful that the producers took the film.”
Ritabhari made her acting debut with the Bengali television show Ogo Bodhu Sundari in 2010. She recently starred in Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee’s vigilante heist action thriller Bohurupi. The actress will next be seen in Mainak Bhaumik’s psychological thriller Grihostho which revolves around a single mother.