Actor Ritabhari Chakraborty debuts in the OTT space with Falak Mir’s Nandini, onn Addatimes. After Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti and Fatafati, Ritabhari is back with another project that gives out a social message on female foeticide. But she says she would love to do colourful films and play the role of a diva. In a freewheeling chat, we got to know more about Nandini, her upcoming works and more.
The protagonist is named Snigdha, so why is the show called Nandini?
The unborn child of Snigdha tells her that she is Nandini and that she is in danger. She asks Snigdha to save her. But whether Nandini is just in her imagination, or is it supernatural, or is it a psychological issue, can be discovered only when you watch the show. It is a drama thriller, but isn’t anything gross or gory.
Tell us about your character Snigdha.
Snigdha is an ordinary girl, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a would-be mother. She is someone who you have probably seen around yourself many times. She’s very sweet, girl who has gotten married to a rich family but they are kind of regressive. But sometime after she got pregnant, her family members tried to convince her to abort the baby because it had issues, and that her life was at risk. But Snigdha is not
at all convinced, and then she receives the call from Nandini. She goes for a second opinion to find out that the foetus is fine and realises that she is bearing a girl child, which is why her family is trying to abort the baby. So, the story is about Snigdha, her would-be daughter Nandini, and how these two fight out the social evils.
How excited are you about your web space debut?
Quite excited. It has a very different pattern of content. Its format is somewhat like television serials. But at the same time, I would say that I have been waiting long for a role which I cannot refuse, and I’ll be obsessed with the role till I do it. And Nandini was exactly that. Snigdha’s character doesn’t have the characteristics of my previous roles like Phullora in Fatafati or Shabari in Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti. I also wanted to demistify that not everyone has to have talents, some can be ordinary too.
Snigdha is just a mother who is fighting for her child.
Most of your recent films have a social message. Do you have plans to stick to this genre?
I want to do all kinds of films, very honestly. I have no restrictions or reservations about working even in films which are “commercial”. Although, Fatafati or Nandini are commercial projects because they
are entertaining.
Would you want to work in films with many songs, and dance numbers?
If they start working again, maybe I’ll think about it. Most films are not working in theatres, they doing rather badly. I have no reservations about those because they have a huge reach among the masses. In fact, I have come from there. Even our biggest commercial director Raj Chakraborty has stopped making films like that. I mean, these are huge wake-up calls. But that doesn’t mean I won’t choose colourful films. I have already signed up for one. The film I am doing in December, it’s not a commercial film, but at the same time, it’s not a family film or has a social message. And it is not a female-centric film either. This is a conscious decision because it takes no time for people to typecast someone in the industry. I don’t want to be tagged as an actor who only does films that are female-centric or have a female hero.
I want to do all kinds of movies. I like to play the role of a diva. Not like I don’t like it. And next year, around February, I am in a film which is a very colourful, bright, urban comedy. But I have seen that as a content creator and writer, I love thrillers. Mainak Bhaumik’s next — Grihostho, too, is a thriller. I have written a script for a film that will go to the floors next year. That is a thriller as well. As for films with social messages, I am not the one who is making the changes — people are. I just raised a topic. When people will look at it and say, ‘let’s discuss it with someone else’, I enjoy that. And for that, I think I’m going to keep doing films with social messages, which is fun. As long as it has a good script.
Can you spill some beans about the script that you have written?
All I can say is that it will be a Hindi film, directed by a Malayalam director, and I am floored that he liked my script. I will probably be acting in it as well.