Rasika ‘let down’ by film distribution system?
Rasika Dugal’s film Manto was recently screened at the Cannes film festival and the actor is extremely proud of the film,which is expected to hit theatres in India, sometime this year.
However, Rasika isn’t confident about the film distribution system in India and feels some of her projects deserved a better release than what they had received.
“I’ve been fortunate with the kind of work I’ve done, in terms of quality. But a lot of work didn’t get the kind of release and attention that it deserved. And, I feel little let down by our distribution system,” says Rasika, who has been part of films such as Hijack (2008), Tahaan (2008) and Qissa (2015).
After being part of the industry for a decade now, she feels fortunate to have done films that other actors might not get a chance to do during their entire career. But at the same time she feels that “there is no sure shot way of picking up safe scripts.”
Elaborating her point, Rasika says, “The best option that you can have as an actor is pure instinct and you should be able to protect your instinct. Information can either cloud your instinct or aid it. I always feel that in the last few years in the industry, I have tried to protect my instinct and not get clouded by too much information. Honestly, I think that’s the best option when you’re working as an actor and also when you are choosing your projects.”
Though Rasika has mostly done art house cinema, she doesn’t believe in the differentiation between art house and mainstream. “I’ve always been open to doing mainstream work as well. But this is the kind of work that came my way and I’ve selected me. Of course, I’m open to all kinds of genres. In my head, there are no demarcations,” she says.