‘It’s best to take roles that appeal to you instinctively’
A graduate of Film and Television Institute of India, Rasika Dugal has many feathers in her cap. She speaks to Preeti Singh about her thrilling journey in theatre and film.
but also equally heartbroken when I reject a role. I am greedy as an actor. That’s what makes this decision a very tough one. Q. Tell us about your experience of sharing screen space with Shefali Shah and Neeraj Kabi for your next international co-production Indo-German film Once Again. A. It was such a treat to get an opportunity to work with actors like Neeraj Kabi and Shefali Shah. It is rare to find actors who have consistently done good work, who have only grown as actors over the years and managed to sustain the quality of their work. They have that magical combination of skill and experience. My most valued experience on this film, more than experimenting with my own role, was to just watch Neeraj and Shefali work. That is my biggest learning from this film. Q. You are currently working on a mythological show Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik. How is hosting different from acting? A. Hosting is entirely different from acting. In fact, I don’t see why people approach actors to host shows. Hosting requires you to communicate to the audience, acting (especially for a film) essentially requires you to experience and quietly so. I think both require completely different skill sets. I decided to take it up because I am interested in mythology and Devdutt worked for me. Q. You will also be seen opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the Nandita Das film Manto. Tell us about this film and how was it working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nandita Das? A. We are going to start filming Manto in either November or January. We are currently in the process of beginning readings and rehearsals.
I am going to be play Safia Manto (Manto’s wife). I think it’s a beautifully nuanced role which can only be brought out by a sensitive and intelligent director. Because it’s all too easy for a role like this to become a stereotype of how we think of women in the 1940s. I wouldn’t trust anyone more than Nandita to keep the politics of that intact, as she has already done in the script. Also, only her impeccable research can do justice to the enormous task of recreating a period and exploring Manto’s work. I have always admired her as an actor and I am looking forward to being affected by her infectiously vibrant energy along with her signature gracefulness.
The greatest high for me besides getting to play a really beautiful part is to watch a talented and gifted actor play a beautiful part. I am going to have my eyes peeled on Nawaz during the shoot to learn whatever I can. I am excited to watch him pull off this role with great aplomb. I have worked with Irrfan Khan, then Neeraj Kabi and now Nawazuddin Siddiqui! What more could I ask for? Q. You did a remarkable role in The Vagina Monologues, one of India’s longest running and most successful theatre productions. How did you land this role? A. I had watched the play when I was a student of acting at FTII , Pune. Besides the content of the play, I also thought such a play was a gold mine for an actor. One could play so many characters and also experiment with different accents. Two years later when I finished my course and came to Bombay, I was looking to do theatre and I happened to chance upon a notice at Prithvi saying the producers of The Vagina Monologues were looking for actors to open the show in Hindi. I auditioned for the part and got it.
I started with The Vagina Monologues in Hindi and later also joined the English cast. I now perform in both. In fact, now it’s been so many years that I feel I can even perform it backwards!