Grace personified, actor Deepti Naval’s new release, Kamal Musale’s Mother Teresa & Me, is a powerful story of three extraordinary women whose lives are intertwined with hope, compassion, and love. As the actor was in town to promote the film, we spoke with her to know more about the film and her character.
Tell us about your role in Mother Teresa & Me.
Deepali is a very endearing character, full of love, compassion and a very tender woman. She is a big support system to a young girl Kavita (played by Banita Sandhu) and is almost like a nanny to her. Deepali also has a close association with Mother Teresa. Though my role is not very big, I quite enjoyed playing it and I am happy that I am a part of this film, which is an unusual take on a biopic.
What are the takeaways from the film?
The film is very layered. You can’t say that this film is solely about compassion, or solely about something else. It is about self-doubt and self-discovery. People can also see what Mother Teresa goes through as a person, her selfdoubts, confusion, and everything. We have predominantly seen one image of Mother, or the other which was formed by completely negating the former. But this film doesn’t cater to any of the two images, it just explores the person behind the images.
Looking back at your films, do you critique yourself?
Yes, I do. I was fortunate enough to have been offered very nice films, which people still remember, even after a four-decade-long stint in the industry. But I could have done much more work, I had so much more to give.
Your upcoming projects?
I was busy promoting my last book A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir, and now, I will write the next one. I have three-four things up my sleeve, let’s see which one I write. I also have an upcoming movie with Kalki Koechlin called Goldfish, which will hopefully release this year. The film releases today.