INTERVIEW

Rasika Dugal is emerging as a prominent name in the Indian theatre scenario. Her work is quite extensive and one is hardly unaware of some of her remarkable productions such as Kshay and Qissa. Apart f rom being a member of one of India’s biggest theatre productions, The Vagina Monologues, Rasika has also started making forays into indie cinema with films like Qissa and soon will be seen with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Nandita Das’ directorial venture Manto.

She speaks to Guardian 20 about working with directors like Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma and about her upcoming film Manto among others. Q. You started your career with famous directors like Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma. How was the experience like? How much does it help as a starting point in one’s career? A. My first time on a film set was on Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking. I had just graduated from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and had only recently had the opportunity to watch a director’s cut of Black Friday. This was long before it finally released. Needless to say, I was completely in awe of Anurag. The first thing that struck me about Anurag was how sharp he was about understanding which of the actors should take on what character within the scripted lines. It was like he instantly knew what you would be good at playing after having only a brief conversation with you. He knew exactly what to tell an actor and what to not tell an actor. I guess, an understanding of this only comes with experience. And I was lucky to be guided by that experience because till then I had none.

What I admired about Ram Gopal Varma was that he had then created a space for himself, where he truly wanted to experiment and he did so without worrying about what the consequences would be. He was curious about something, he wanted to try it out and he had created a space for himself to do exactly that. That is real power and I admired that.

I would say I was very lucky to work with experienced directors who were sure about what they wanted. The most confusing thing for an actor, especially while working on a film, is an unsure director. Q. You are best known for your roles in Kshay and Qissa. How did these roles have an effect on your career in the long run in Bollywood? A. I don’t know what works in Bollywood and what doesn’t. There is no standard path for success in Bollywood. In fact, in my opinion, the ones who have survived are the ones who have experimented with new content and even with new media. I feel it’s best to take on roles which appeal to you instinctively or even roles that are available to you at that time and do a good job with them. That is the only way to hone your craft.

Whether offbeat or not, I think the roles I had in these films are very rare for many actors to find in an entire career and I think I was very lucky to have them so early. I wouldn`t trade those parts for anything in the world. Q. We see that you choose unconventional roles in both films and TV. Like Powder and Kismat. Can you elaborate over your inclination towards such roles? A. I don’t see roles as conventional or unconventional. I see them as interesting or not. These are the questions I mostly think of before signing for the role like: is this role going to help me learn something more than I already know about my craft or is it going to help me to challenge myself and take on something I have been nervous about? Is it going to help me learn a new skill or are the people involved like directors, co- actors going to be interesting to work with and also financially comfortable?

If the answer to even three of the above is yes, I usually take it up. And this is how I have ended up doing these projects.

The decision is not always easy. I am, of course, heartbroken when I get rejected for a role I want to do

“There is no standard path for success in Bollywood. In fact, in my opinion, the ones who have survived are the ones who have experimented - with new content and even with new media. I feel it’s best to take on roles which appeal to you instinctively or even roles that are available to you at that time and do a good job with them. That is the only way to hone your craft.”