The Bombay-based actress Chitrangada Chakraborty entered her Salt Lake home in May after a month to be welcomed by “the owners of the house” — two Labradors, a German Shepherd, a Pomeranian and a St. Bernard. “They are happy dogs. And they just want to spread love. They almost jumped to the ceiling with joy when they saw me,” smiled Chitrangada, sitting in her sister Ritabhari’s home, a 10-minute walk from her place. A t2 chat...
Tell us about the“owners of the house”...
They are amazing. My mom (Satarupa Sanyal) stays with them. I often speak to them. For example, when I am searching for something and moving from one room to the next, they’ll follow me. When I am doing my sit-ups, they will come and lick my face. I do my exercises at home. And if I am in the plank position, they will go underneath me.
You moved to Bombay around five years ago. Why?
I was not getting the right kind of work in Calcutta. I was not feeling excited about the projects coming my way. So I thought of moving to Bombay where there is a lot more work happening. There is a process of audition there. So I wanted to try it out.
As fate would have it, I got into theatre there, and I did plays for the first three years.
Initially, I moved to a friend’s place in Sion, Bombay. But it was crazy travelling from Sion to Andheri. In the first couple of months I was trying to figure my way out. Then I realised I have to shift to Andheri. I wanted to stay on in Bombay. There was no Plan B. Luckily, two of my friends from Calcutta shifted to Bombay, and we started staying together in Andheri. The feeling of coming back home to a known person felt great.
Tell us about your experience in the Bombay theatre scene...
Getting into theatre happened organically. The theatre atmosphere there is amazing. The hierarchy factor is not there in Manav’s (Kaul) group. Everyone is treated equally. It started feeling like home. I started doing more theatre and getting calls for different projects, ads. My first play Colourblind (also starring Kalki Koechlin), ironically, was staged in Calcutta at ICCR in September, 2013, and it was such a wonderful feeling. We took Kalki and Manav to different restaurants but they pampered us and treated us!
You have worked in Bombay and Calcutta. What’s the one thing that stands out?
To be very honest, Bombay is much more welcoming to newcomers. You just need to have some patience. And if you are good, then people will tell you that. They are generous in their praise. I started believing that I have the potential once Manav started acknowledging me. During a rehearsal of a play, he suddenly told another actor, ‘You must have conviction in your eyes, just like Chitrangada.’ He told me to concentrate on what I was doing and not to take myself seriously.
The casting process in Calcutta is very flawed. There are very few casting directors. How will a newcomer contact anyone?
There are a lot of talented actors in Calcutta. The casting process needs to be made more professional. At the same time a casting director has to be that good to understand the director’s mind.
How did Ahare Mon happen?
I had gone to fix my laptop with my friend, and my friend bumped into Pratimda (Pratim D. Gupta, director). I went for the audition of Ahare Mon the next day. It’s very important for a director to be present for auditions. Pratimda was there. Soon I got to know that I had landed the role, and that I had to get a haircut!
When did that happen? Were you cool with it?
Two-three days before the shoot, I got a buzzcut. During that time I would constantly see pictures of Sinead O’Connor to feel inspired. She had such a cool look, so beautiful. I would also see pictures of Natalie Portman.
I was looking forward to the haircut. And I liked what I saw. The eyes and the face became more prominent. And soon the other thing started… people started patting my head! My friends were really excited, and many went, ‘Ki aaram lagchhe toke dekhe.’ I sent my pictures to Kalki and she said, ‘You are inspiring.’ I still have my hair... it’s in Bombay. I want to donate it.
Do you want to keep this style?
I have to grow it back. But that cut gave me so much peace. And once the hair reaches the Afro stage, I can play around with that. See, it’s a journey.
Who are you in Ahare Mon?
I play a girl who believes in her dreams so bad. She comes from a different social milieu. In my life I am a lot more privileged than Titli. I have come across such people. Pratimda gave me a lot of space to play with the character. And for Titli, I had to keep the process very internal, and keep myself in that space.
Do you discuss films with your sister Ritabhari?
We discuss work in a fun way. We mostly share our experiences. But when we get together, we mostly crack up on PJs... we crack terrible jokes. We talk about everything. We both love watching web series but we watch different shows. I told her to watch Stranger Things. My fave is Mindhunter. She loves to watch House, Grey’s Anatomy… both of us are Game of Thrones fans.
You also play the ukulele...
I got it as a gift on my birthday. I am self-taught. It wasn’t tough picking it up… you just need to give it time.
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Fave films: Thelma and Louise, Blow, Rang De Basanti, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Paromitar Ekdin, Nayak, Amelie.
Fave songs: Most of the songs by Mutemath, Arctic Monkeys, Porcupine Tree. And I am a big Tagore fan. Also the entire album of Dev D. It’s a favourite.
Fave books: Galpoguchchho, The Kite Runner, Metamorphosis.
Fave author: Rabindranath Tagore. Always and forever!
Fave actors: Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kalki Koechlin, Santosh Dutta, Soumitra Chatterjee.
One thing we don’t know about you: Too many things. I’m a thick book!
Arindam Chatterjee
Picture: Pabitra Das
