Rituparna Sengupta with family, and (below) with Jisshu Sengupta in Andhakarer Shabdo

Under pressure to retain her no. 1 rank in Tollywood, fighting for a foothold in Bollywood and being with her family in Singapore ? Rituparna Sengupta?s life is a tale of three cities these days, but she seems to like it that way. For her, it?s better to be torn between work and more work than to sit idle at home in Singapore.

?I have seen many actresses for whom career has taken a backseat after marriage. But I don?t understand why. I am so glad that Kajol is making a comeback. Why do people think that women are finished after marriage?? she asks, taking a break from shooting at Nandan on Sunday evening.

?I can?t imagine myself being just a housewife. I know it takes a lot for a housewife to manage a house. But I see a void settling in Singapore and doing nothing. I am just a nobody there. I can never sit back and say I have done enough. There?s only one life and there?s so much to do,? adds Rituparna.

That there is. Minutes ago, Tollywood?s top heroine was bent over her cell phone, cajoling her baby boy on a long-distance call between shots for Ashoke Viswanathan?s Andhakarer Shabdo.

Rituparna has been running at breakneck speed for the past couple of years, and now she wants to slow down a bit. But before she can fly off to join her son and husband, she has to finish off some patchwork for Uns in Mumbai.

Then next month, she starts shooting for her third Hindi feature film in a row, Vikram Bhatt?s Aakhir where she is cast opposite Sanjay Suri. ?I have had a narration from Vikram. It?s a love story,? says Rituparna, before adding, ?Vikram wanted to cast someone fresh. My secretary had arranged a meeting with him. Vikram told me that he hadn?t screen-tested anybody for the character. It?s a very glamourous role; a complete change of look from Main Meri Patni Aur Woh, which is very Indian.?

With Bollywood films trickling in, Rituparna is also getting to share screen space with a few good men. If Uns finds her opposite Sanjay Kapoor and Sudhangshu Pandey, Sanjay Suri?s her love interest in Aakhir and Rahul Bose is her husband in a Bengali feature film, tentatively titled Anuranon.

To be directed by ad film-maker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (with whom she had worked in a detergent ad before), Anuranon also stars Tota Roy Chowdhury and Raima Sen, and delves deep into the marital relationship of Rahul and Rituparna. ?The marriage seems very mundane but a beautiful relationship grows between the husband and the wife. I loved the idea as my character sees new horizons,? says Rituparna.

Now, she also wants to expand her horizons behind the big screen. The second feature film from her production company Prism Entertainment, Bouma Zindabad, is gearing up for release. ?We will shoot two songs in August and get it done. Besides, talks are on for signing up a third Prism Entertainment film.?

But it?s the small screen that has really caught Rituparna?s fancy of late. The actress wants to turn her dance troupe Bhabana Aaj O Kal into a full-fledged TV production house. ?I am in talks with a channel about some programmes. I would like to produce serials and telefilms,? she says, also drawing up plans to start a dance-cum-painting school under the same banner.

?There will be dance workshops and painting lessons under the same roof. Just like the one I used to attend as I child. I want to do something more, just as Hema Malini or Juhi Chawla are doing,? she says.

And then there?s the Rituparna the writer. She will soon script the story of her life. ?I am about to sit with pen and paper. But it won?t be from an actress?s perspective, but a human being?s,? she smiles.