Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; October 10, 2018)

He is just 20, but has already bagged a National Award. Now, Riddhi Sen is all set to play the lead along with Kajol in Pradeep Sarkar’s Helicopter Eela, a film that revolves around the relationship between a mother and son. In a candid chat with BT, Riddhi talks about why he was eager to do Helicopter Eela, how winning the National Award (in the Best Actor category) last year, inspires him to do good work and how it was easy for him to slip into the role of a transgender in the Bengali film, Nagarkirtan. Excerpts…

You have acted in Hindi films earlier, but you are playing a prominent role for the first time in Helicopter Eela. Tell us about your journey of getting here.
Yes, I have acted in Hindi films like Kahaani, Parched and Bhoomi. I also did Children of War, which was Farooq Shaikh’s last film, but sadly, it didn’t get much recognition. I also featured in Chauranga that was produced by filmmaker Onir. In Helicopter Eela, I am playing the lead role.

Actors dream of getting an opportunity like Helicopter Eela and the credit goes to my director, Pradeep Sarkar. There are many actors waiting to land a role like the one I play in this film, but Pradeepda was confident about me essaying this role. Two years ago, I worked in a commercial with him in Kolkata and that's when he decided that I could pull off my role in the film. I didn’t have to audition a lot. In fact, I was cast in the film because my work in my earlier movies was appreciated. When Sujoy da (Ghosh) came to shoot in Kolkata for Kahaani, people from the Bengali film industry referred me to him. I thought I might have to audition for Helicopter Eela, but I didn’t have to.

Last year, you won a National Award in the Best Actor category at the age of 20 for the Bengali film Nagarkirtan. Having achieved that kind of recognition so early on in life, does it put pressure on you?
I have a long way to go. The fact that I won a National Award right at the start of my career scares me, because I have a lot to learn and explore. Today, thanks to the internet, I can familiarise myself with films which are being made all over the world and stay updated. More than being affected by people’s expectations, I want to live up to my own. I don’t feel the pressure to deliver because I have won a National Award. In fact, I have forgotten that chapter of my life. I have very high regard for the award, as well as for the jury who chose me, including Shekhar Kapur and I am extremely grateful for it. However, if I keep thinking about that achievement, I will not progress. I was the best, according to some people, but the next year somebody else’s performance will be lauded. In the next ten years, if I do good work then I can proudly say that I had won it.

The mother-son relationship that’s being portrayed in Helicopter Eela talks about how parents are overprotective and sometimes can also go overboard. Tell us about your relationship with your mother?
The film talks about what happens in most Indian homes. In the process of bringing up their children, parents don’t pay heed to their needs. They focus on only looking after the children and that is common in Indian society. Also, many parents feel that children should not have an opinion of their own. Some aspects of the relationship showcased between the mother and son in the film are similar to the bond that I share with my mother. Whatever I have achieved in life is because of her. Children observe their parents and I have seen my parents strike a balance between work and home. Both my parents are actors and they don’t have a nine-to-five job. However, that never affected my upbringing. They were there for me when I needed them and they also managed to work as well. My mother is my best friend and I have no inhibitions when it comes sharing my thoughts with her.

You have the experience of working in the Bengali, as well as the Hindi film industry. How different are they from each other?
The industries are different when it comes to the budgets of films. We have talented directors in Kolkata. If a Hindi film is shot in 50 days, a Bengali film has to be shot within 16 days. However, the end product is the same. The preparation before the shoot is immense. I played a transgender in Nagarkirtan for which I won the National Award. Usually, actors get close to six months to prepare for a role like this. The film was shot in 18 days. In the beginning, nobody was willing to produce a movie that revolved around a transgender. My director really rallied for the film. I had to prepare myself for the role much before the film went on floors. I knew the film will be made, but I didn’t know when it would go on floors, so I had to be ready to shoot at any given time. A low budget film shouldn’t look like one and that’s the trick the Bengali film industry has managed to pull off.

Was it important for you to do Nagarkirtan because it focusses on the love story of a transgender man? It’s a brave attempt and relevant to our times…
Aligarh is one of my favourite films. Nagarkirtan also addresses a similar concept. I am proud that the film’s director Kaushik Ganguly chose to narrate a tale that revolves around the love story of a transgender. I could play the role of a transgender with ease because of my upbringing. I grew up in a family of artistes. Also, I was part of theatre. I grew up surrounded by people like Aparna Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee and Rituparno Ghosh, who influenced me as far as my choice of roles was concerned. My upbringing helped in cultivating awareness on what happens. While growing up, my parents didn’t childproof conversations. They always gave an explanation. I watched my first ‘A’ rated film, Parzania, when I was seven years old. I was explained why the film was ‘A’ rated and also why a film with such a rating didn’t indicate that it was bad. By the time I was 19, I had an evolved understanding of gender. My parents also considered acting as a subject. In India, acting is not considered among subjects like Physics and Chemistry. But I hope things change some day.