Things will change around you, but you shouldn’t change: Divya

Actor Divya Dutta is known as a powerhouse performer, who has the ability to add a new dimension to the role she is essaying. One can watch her characters in films such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Delhi-6 (2009), Veer Zara (2004), among others, which prove the statement. However being a talented actor also comes with its set of disadvantages, where one is expected to even make badly written parts look good on screen. So, does the National Award winning actor also feel pressure of such expectations? “Role achha nahi hoga toh main lungi hi nahi,” quips the 42-year old, adding, “The film can be bad, you can’t do too much about it. I’ve always taken up films, where I say, ‘I know I will enjoy it, even though it’s a badly etched role. At least I got joy from doing it.’ I will be sincere to it, and give my best.”

This attitude stems from the kind of struggle the actor had to go through before making it big. “I’m somebody who has grown up where I was never handed an ice candy, I actually had to go, and say, ‘Barf nikalo, doodh do, main khud ice cream bana lungi’. If you give me one less ingredient, I will search for it. When you are hungry, you want to do that, and I am a hungry actor,” says Divya.

The actor says that she craves to go to small-town places like where Jhalki, her recent film, was shot in. It’s surprising to know that, given that she’s in a profession where the hustlebustle, can get too much. “A compliment I got recently was, ‘Ma’am, you are still the same!’ Where you are, and who you’re working with, should not affect you. I’m the same woman when I’m in my pajamas at home. I don’t think I would want to change that. Things will change around you, but you should not change,” she says.

If you give me one less ingredient, I will search for it. When you are hungry, you want to do that, and I am a hungry actor.

DIVYA DUTTA ACTOR