Both are multi-hyphenate artistes with very different trajectories and bound by the love for arts and the bond of blood. Sisters Chitrangada Satarupa and Ritabhari Chakraborty. And, though they are waiting for an opportune moment to work together on an acting assignment, they came together for this special photo shoot for t2, their maiden project together. Shot in Ritabhari’s Mumbai home, the images are caressed by a vintage charm and the romance of playful leisure. In what is their first joint interview, the sisters, three years apart, chat with t2 about how their relationship has evolved and share their wishes for each other.
The pictures look fabulous...
Ritabhari: I wanted her kind of style. She knows me and my persona. I wanted that to be reflected in the pictures and for the pictures to have more character than just be glam shots. Chitrangada: She wanted to experiment with Indian looks and I love clicking women in saris. We jammed on the spot for the looks. Ritabhari: I had planned on doing the vintage look, and the waist-length hair and wanted a Bengali essence in the frames.
Chitrangada, did you discover a different side to Ritabhari when you captured her in your camera?
Chitrangada: I have clicked her many times on mobile phones, but never really done a proper photoshoot like that. I used to think my pictures were too simple, but I guess she loved my simplicity and wanted to embrace that. (Laughs) The shoot was very chill. She may be my sister but she is also a heroine. Usually, people are a little conscious in front of the camera but Ritabhari right now is in such a great mind space that she was free. She opened up in front of the camera beautifully and was jamming with me so nicely. We wrapped up the shoot in no time. She gave me the director’s seat and performed for my camera.Ritabhari: We shot this in my Mumbai home. The pictures also have a flavour of the kind of house I live in now and it has the scope to blend in a lot of colours that she likes for her palette. One look is a tribute to my mom (filmmaker Satarupa Sanyal). That’s how we have seen our mom. There’s another look which is a tribute to my grandmother. She had short hair and though I didn’t want to do short hair, I wanted to do my hair in a way that reminds us of how she dressed up, simple but yet she looked dressed up. The yellow look is completely Ritabhari. Carefree hair, chilling in loose, comfortable clothes.
Ritabhari, what did you like about Chitrangada, the photographer?
Ritabhari: I enjoy the experience of a photoshoot a lot and you know how involved I get. She (Chitrangada) is also like that, which is why it was a lot of fun collaborating with her. It’s almost as if I had given her the canvas and colours and she was putting it together and also adding to it. While we were shooting, she kept saying things that only she knows to draw the necessary reactions from me (laughs). That was a lot of fun.
What is absolutely refreshing is the space that you give each other...
Ritabhari: We have grown up in a family where my grandfather was a communist and my grandmother was spiritual. We have grown up seeing that we can agree to disagree and still love and admire each other. My mother raised two independent minds. We might have similarities with my mother, but we are not our mother. She has her own identity. All three of us have our own expressions, but we have huge admiration for things we are not. We keep a tab on what each one is doing. Chitrangada: We are a space-giving family, which I have realised after seeing the world more. We might have a common thread but we have our own different worlds. We are all artistes but with different inclinations. We don’t always have to practise that art form, but we can support it because the other person is happy doing that, with focus.
Chitrangada and Ritabhari, who bullied who as a kid?
Ritabhari: I am not proud of the things I have done to her! (Laughs)Chitrangada: She and a cousin locked me and another cousin in a balcony once! (Laughs) In school, the chemistry was very different but when we would come home, she would just change! (Laughs)
The carefree Ritabhari, her most natural self
Ritabhari channels the essence of Satarupa Sanyal, her mother, in these pictures
Ritabhari: I had a don-like personality, almost like The Godfather! I was a big bully and I am not proud, but of course, I have never physically harmed anyone! (Laughs) Titin (Chitrangada) was very soft, which is me now. I cry at the drop of a hat. The roles have reversed.
My mother would always take Titin’s side and because I was very naughty, I would be held responsible for everything! (Laughs) Also, ma was struggling at that point to establish herself. So, we tried to keep it to ourselves. My maashi (maternal aunt) would really get involved at times and now, in hindsight, I think she liked spicy dramas (laughs). But, we three are best of friends. Also, the kind of closeness we have now, this kind of closeness we did not have when we were growing up. We now have profound peace inside us to be understanding of each other’s world. For any relationship, we are going through the best time in our lives. The pandemic made us realise our priorities.
Who is the more mature one?
Ritabhari: I think it really depends on the situation.
Chitrangada: She often gives me perspective and at times, I do too. Ritabhari: I am of course her baby, but Titin is way more baby to me. That’s because of my nature.
Who scolds more, though?!
Ritabhari: Titin can scold anyone! I can never! (Laughs) Ma and I are scared of her. She scolds us both. (Laughs) It’s quite something when she gets mad. O nijei bokbe, tarpor nijei kadbe.
What are the decisions that you both have made that you admire about each other?
Ritabhari: Multiple. The fact that she moved to Bombay at a young age with no contacts, trying to build a life in a new city. It’s not easy. She shaved off her head for a film (Ahare Mon by Pratim D. Gupta). I don’t think I can ever do that. Her choices of films. She chooses to be an artiste every single day, it is really difficult to survive in this country by just being an actor and she makes that happen. I have always admired the fact that she sticks to what she says and practices what she preaches. She has friends everywhere and that’s how she touches people’s lives. She makes me very proud. Chitrangada: I can go on and on about how she groomed herself at the beginning of her career. Then when Ogo Bodhu Sundori (mega serial which made Ritabhari a household name, overnight) happened, to handle that fame at a very early age, your mind can just go for a toss, but she topped her school and was one of the top students in plus-II that year. That developed an immense faith that Pauline (Ritabhari) can do everything. She can win every battle.
In today’s world, you can’t sit and wait for opportunities to come your way. You have to create opportunities for yourself. And, in our industry jodi keu eto kom boyeshe sheta kore dekhiyeche, that’s my sister. She’s produced, written and acted. You have to be intelligent and driven to do that. I am so proud of her. She’s recently been through a difficult phase healthwise and to manage that and work... also making public appearances without any inhibition, gaining so much weight for a film... the one word that describes her is ‘unstoppable’. She doesn’t believe that she has to go by the norms. She is a shapeshifter. I get a lot of energy seeing her. She believes in going on. If one door shuts, she will figure out another door.
What kind of roles do you want to see each other in?
Ritabhari: I really see her in a Zendaya-like character in Euphoria or Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Her plus is bringing a range of emotions in the same sequence which is a rare quality. She is talented to pull off anything, including the character of a man. Chitrangada: I think somebody should definitely cast her in a role of a goon! Maybe she can channel her younger self! Or, it would be very nice to see her in sort of character. Like an intelligent Poo. I think she’ll do a great job.
Hair: Salma Sayyed
