Nitu Chandra wears many hats (theatre artiste, film producer, black belt in taekwondo) might she is best remembered for her starring roles in Garam Masala and Traffic Signal. She was in town recently for the musical Umrao Jaan Ada, which premiered for the first time in India in Ahmedabad.

Nitu who performed in the city for the first time says, “Ahmedabad prefers quality entertainment. The city has a rich culture, heritage, and music. The city also boasts of a vibrant Gujarati theatre culture. I hope to perform with Paresh (Rawal) ji on stage someday. I want to work with all the top actors in the Gujarati entertainment industry. I am grateful that there is no language barrier anymore. I look forward to being offered a role in a Gujarati play or a movie.”

The Umrao Jaan Ada actress spoke about how theatre pays artistes a lot more than before. She says, “Audiences have evolved. There was a time when producers did not want to invest in a Broadway kind of show in India, but now, they are doing this. Theatre actors are also respected quite a bit now. With actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Manoj Bajpayee getting meatier roles even in OTT and Bollywood because of their background in theatre, things have changed for the good of artistes like us who are primarily doing theatre. There are a lot of avenues open for us and we are valued. Our creative worth is appreciated and we get paid decent money too.”

Speaking about theatre being appreciated in Tier-2 and Tier-2 cities, she says, “Even in smaller cities, audiences want a break from the monotony of Bollywood’s song and dance routine and want new experiences. Every city in India has an evolved, cultured audience. People want to spend their money and time on good quality stuff. They want to see unique performances."

Neetu who’s done her fair share of films and is now performing on stage, has no favourites. She says, “What I appreciate about theatre is the instant gratification that I receive. After my play, I saw Kareena Kapoor Khan cry and Kajol came and hugged me. I have seen people laugh, and cry - my plays have made them feel all the emotions. After COVID, I crave appreciation and when a peer or an audience member hugs me, I feel valued.”

Actor Nitu Chandra Srivastava says the death of filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar is like a personal loss to her, as she is very close to his family. Sarkar, known for directing Parineeta (2005), Lafangey Parindey (2010), Mardaani (2014) and Helicopter Eela (2018), died in Mumbai on Friday.

The actor met Sarkar just three weeks ago at his residence in Mumbai, where she learned that the 67-year-old was suffering from kidney issues and was undergoing dialysis.

“He was not well at all. He was struggling with several health issues and said, ‘Meri tabiyat theek nahin hai’. We told him to take care of himself and rest, and that he could work on his projects once he got better,” she recalls, adding that the filmmaker was always trying a new diet to lose weight.

The actor says that despite all the health issues plaguing Sarkar, those close to him never imagined this loss. “We were hoping for him to bounce back. He was eating food, talking to us and had the will to get better,” she shares.

Like Sarkar’s loved ones, the Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) actor says now she is clutching onto her memories of him. “He was the first one with whom I worked in the industry. Nobody portrayed women in the traditional and classy way in modern times like he did. There was nobody like him,” she ends.

Someone might have ‘helped, lobbied or backed her’ — these are some of the assumptions and questions that actor Nitu Chandra Srivastava has faced ever since she made her way to Hollywood. And she claims that it is because people from the industry “can’t digest” her move towards the West.

“The fact that ek ladki aapne aap, apne balbute pe aur bina kissi ke backup ya background ke, udhar jaakar lead role kar li... It is shocking for them (industry people). They couldn’t believe it, and that’s why they are trying to pass the credit to someone or something. But I want to say, ‘Arey, apni country mein toh dilwa nahin paaye, Hollywood mein kaise dilwayenge’,” says Srivastava, who made her Hollywood debut with Never Back Down: Revolt (2021). The actor, who has signed two more projects, adds that she doesn’t harbour resentment against anyone “because karma is a big thing”.

However, Srivastava, who has featured in projects such as Garam Masala (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008) and 13B (2009), is not in a mood to let someone else take the credit. “I’ve made everything for myself, brick by brick… It took a long time,” she concludes.