Lisa Ray uncomfortable celebrating Afreen afreen song

Iti Shree Misra (BOMBAY TIMES; May 17, 2023)

Actress, entrepreneur and writer, Lisa Ray, seen in films like Water, Kusoor and more recently in the OTT show Four More Shots Please! talks about her twin daughters, her acting career and more in a freewheeling chat with us. Excerpts:

Priyanka Chopra Jonas recently spoke about her struggle in the Hindi film industry. How has your journey been in Bollywood?
I refused to play the game and I stood up against a lot of egos in the industry. I won’t say I paid the price for that because I never wanted to be part of mainstream Bollywood, so I was in a very different position. I think that Priyanka is a bold, intelligent, accomplished and driven woman. She inspires the younger generation to pursue their vision uncompromisingly. That’s another subtle message she gives out.

With movies like Water and I Can't Think Straight, each role and story you have picked are bold and have left an impact. What was the thought process behind choosing such roles?
I have always been someone who never wanted to take the conventional path. And looking back now, I stand behind all of my decisions. They were not easy at that time. Fortunately, we are going through a new era of unconventional storytelling and finding an audience for that. When I started on this path that was not the case, so I did it because I truly believe that entertainment, movies and streaming content are like Trojan horses. You have an opportunity to actually get a particular mission or a perspective across to an audience, wrapped up in beautiful packaging. So it was my mission to be in projects that were beautiful, that resonated, that were entertaining, but also had a story behind it. And I am really proud of that.

What type of movie projects and roles are you interested in pursuing?
First of all, I have never pursued any project. I am an accidental actress, I never planned to be in this profession. I don’t do anything that people imagine you should do. I have never networked, I have hardly ever auditioned, nothing. Whatever came my way was meant for me. And I am of course very lucky for that. I don’t know how I did any of this. Right now, I am not actively pursuing any projects.

As a mother of twin daughters and someone who works in different fields, what is your mantra for managing things and finding the right balance?
My mantra is to be calm, grounded and humble because that’s very important. I have a tattoo on my ankle of a lotus. And it goes out of a shlok from the film Water Padma patram evam bhasa, which means ‘Live like a water lotus’. I endeavour to be like that, to be in the world, but float just a little bit above it.

How has been your journey as a mother?
Oh my god, it’s amazing. It transforms you on a fundamental level and it has taught me all about unconditional love and understanding. It has been a wonderful experience.