‘MY CHOICES ARE STILL DRIVEN BY THE STORY’ Kavita Awaasthi
Rasika Dugal says the true mark of a piece of work when it‘s released, is not popularity but longevity, shares why her film Hamid was special
In the last two years, Rasika Dugal has starred in a number of diverse projects including web shows such as Mirzapur, Delhi Crime, Humoursly Yours and Out of Love. And she also featured in Hamid, a film that won the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Urdu. It is a story is about a seven-year-old Hamid, who tries to reach out and call God, because he wants to talk to his dad who is no more. The film completed a year yesterday and Rasika says the film will always be a very special experience which “stirred” herr in a way that very few films have. “The intentionn of Hamid was to tell a human story. I hope that next time someone watches the news or reads an article on Kashmir, they empathise with the people who live there — that it’s no longer about just another Kashmiri boy, a half widow or a CRPF Jawan, but about Hamid, Ishrat and Abhay. If our film has done this in even a small way, I would feel like our job is done. The moments of true empathy, of a connection which takes you beyond your realm of experience is so special that it cannot be weighed against ‘hits’ or ‘flops’. The true mark of a piece of work, in my opinion, is not its popularity at the time it was made in, but its longevity. How it survives the test of time. If it still continues to be a compelling story years later, then it is a good one,” shares Dugal, who is currently working on Mirzapur 2, Delhi Crime 2, A Suitable Boy and otheother rojects.
In the last oone year, ith the suuccess of elhi Crrime, she as been ttinng better ojjects and lees. Does e still ravitate owards a mall udget m which igght not vve a wide eaase? “My oicees are l drivven by story aand/or at the piecce of k means to mem or es me as an actorr. I have an inability to make decisions any other way and I want it to remain like that. Of course, the ideal scenario would be a great story, a super part and a wide release. But if it’s one or the other, then it would be in that order. For example, when Delhi Crime was being made, there was no platform backing the project. Everyone who worked on it did it because we strongly felt that it was a story that needed to be told. Had we not taken that leap of faith, we would have missed an opportunity to be a part of something so special,” she reveals.
Talking about working on Hamid, Dugal reminisces spending many afternoons with the women of Badar Kot village in Kashmir. “We chatted away about so many things... from politics to love to Instagram! We laughed about me trying to pick up their accent, and spent a lot of time cleaning, cooking and eating the fresh and delicious ‘haak’ (a type of Kashmiri saag). I was touched by their spirit, their strength, sensitivity and effortless courage,” she signs off.