Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; October 20, 2018)

There’s more to her than just a glamorous personality. She’s a talented artiste and now a film producer, too. Chitrangda Singh has donned several hats in her career that took off back in 2003. She admits that she wasn’t looking to be an actor, and hence wasn’t focussed on making it big in the profession. While her acting career hasn’t seen a high in a long spell, her first production, Soorma, has cemented her space as a film producer. In conversation with BT, Chitrangda talks about her forthcoming film, Baazaar, why only actresses are asked about catfights and why the #MeToo campaign has found approval in India, too. Excerpts…

Baazaar is your second release of the year, earlier, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 didn’t turn out as you would have wished for. Given that your role in Baazaar isn’t all that long, what sort of expectations do you have from the film?
It’s very important because every film counts. It either adds to you as an actor or just affects your career. It doesn’t always come out looking the way you expect it to. Your performance is not highlighted the way you wanted it to be. So, Baazaar is important, because Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 didn’t get the response we expected. I wasn’t happy with the way things turned out for me in particular.

You also turned producer this year with Soorma, a sports drama. Your foray into production was unexpected.
Firstly, I think everyone knows that I wasn’t doing much work since 2014-15. I was also going through a bad patch in my personal life. While I was away from movies, I found time to work on ideas that I had written a long time ago and I started developing scripts. That’s the time when I met hockey player Sandeep Singh and because I was in a writing zone, I penned his story. It turned out to be an unbelievable idea for a film, better than anything I could think of. I decided to make the film and because I took the rights, I promised him that it will be made without any concoctions. So, eventually, I turned producer, but I was more involved with the creative side. It was a great learning curve and while you’re just on the creative side, it’s still a lot of work. It took us a while to find a corporate partner, because the response to the script initially wasn’t welcoming. A lot of biopics were in the pipeline at that time. Besides, no one expected me to produce a film. The thought was, ‘Arey, isko bhi producer banne ka shaukh chadha hai. Sabko producer banna hai.’ I heard that line quite often. I’ll give them the benefit of doubt, because people are hesitant till you don’t prove yourself, which is fair.

Is it tough to balance between acting and film production?
The worlds overlap to a large extent, which is why so many male actors have been doing it for years. It just gets you more ownership and control of a project that you anyway invest so much in. In the male actor’s case, it’s also their name and image that matters. With Soorma, I’ve just familiarised myself with the process of film production. It’s not that simple, you have to make a few films and experience things to learn what it is like to be a producer.

Women started making films as early as 1926 but even today, their numbers are dismal when compared to the men. Also, a woman’s entry into the filmmaking business is often met with scepticism.
I don’t blame people. I don’t want to make this about men and women. Both male and female actors will be asked as many questions if they change tracks. You need to prove yourself in the film industry. Once you’ve done that, no one asks questions. If Anushka Sharma wants to make a film tomorrow, no one will question her now. It takes time and a few films to get there. Yes, we do need more women to make films, which will make it look as normal as it is for men.

Although you have a relatively smaller role in Baazaar, do you think women, overall have been getting better-written parts than before?
The audience just doesn’t want to watch formulaic films anymore. There is a change and women are becoming more integral to the storytelling process. The characters don’t always have to be feminists and/or inclined towards women’s liberation. Take Alia Bhatt in Raazi for instance. You don't need a man to carry the plot ahead. This is the reality of life. That’s how important women really are.

At the trailer launch of Baazaar, Radhika Apte and you were asked about being comfortable with each other during the shoot. Two men working together seldom brave questions about being comfortable while sharing screen space. Why do you think such questions are posed only to women?
Were Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor asked the same question? I think it’s the nature of the profession. Actors, irrespective of their gender, are greedy and selfish about scripts and roles. They seek the best for themselves because they’re trying to impress the audience. They want to be seen, and seen well. Having said that, I don’t know why men are rarely asked questions about how it was working with their male co-star because they are just as concerned as women are about their role, work and space. I think women are asked such questions because they are perceived as people who fight. Probably, they really have to fight to get what they deserve because nothing ever comes easy for them. Women are anyway more expressive, volatile and emotional than men. Among my cousins, my brothers fought lesser than my sisters. It’s not about being sexist; it’s just that women are more vocal and expressive, and not in a negative way. It’s so refreshing that we’re fiery and spontaneous unlike most men, who are so prim, proper and practical.

Two years ago, you had stormed out of the film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, because you didn’t agree with the kind of (intimate) scene you were asked to shoot.
I was crying on the set when he (Kushan Nandy, director) kept on telling me that I have to do as he tells me to. He was almost frantic when he jumped on the bed and started showing me how to rub myself against Nawazuddin Siddiqui. At one point, even Nawaz walked away from there. I don’t know if that is me being fiery; that’s just me. There was a female producer and a female make-up artist and everyone watched silently. It’s so strange. Today, I support Tanushree Dutta and everyone else who has spoken up about times when they experienced horrible things at work. Better late than never! You know what? It was being reported back then as well, but it wasn’t getting picked up. I think with the #MeToo campaign in the West, the cause has found some sort of approval here, too. I just hope men who are supporting this movement aren’t just doing it for the sake of sounding cool.

Why do you think women often choose to remain silent after hostile experiences?
In our society, it’s widely accepted that men need not be penalised for sexual exploitation. It’s just taken for granted. I know of mothers who would look away if their little girls tell them about being sexually targeted by someone. We hear of these stories, I have seen my friend go through this when I was in class eight. It’s in our nature to feel ashamed when something happens to us and not confront men when they wrong us. Now that we are talking, we have sent out a message that no one needs to be quiet, that the fabric of our society needs to change.

It’s been 15 years since Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, but your career didn’t quite add up to the promise you showed in your debut film.
When I look back at my filmography, I, too, feel that it’s a little too random. Maybe, the reason is that I didn’t look to become an actor and so I didn't have a strategy. Luckily, I debuted with a film like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Then, I took a six year break, because I wasn’t looking to work at that time. Eventually, I realised acting is my true calling and I came back here. I’ve been in and out of the profession since then. When you stay away from your work space for too long, you suffer. Six years is a very long time to pick up from where you left off. I made some big mistakes — I refused some really big films, which I shouldn’t have. The breaks I took to sort out my personal life also took a toll on my repertoire, but I am grateful that my work has been decent enough to keep me relevant. That’s the reason I continue to find work and now, produce films. I think I have got far more acknowledgement than the volume of work that I have done.

What do you think kept you going during your tough times?
I didn’t have a choice; I just had to keep going. The one thing that kept me happy and excited was cinema and that’s probably why I started writing. I’ve penned two scripts — a love story and a children’s film. I plan to make at least one of them next year. I also produced a film which saved me in a way. I had to find something to keep me excited. This is just the amount of perfection you can possibly manage in a lifetime.