Waiting for exciting content to explore OTT: Rituparna Sengupta
The actress would like to be part of series like ‘Virgin River’ and says she could have devoted more time to her Bollywood career
Rituparna Sengupta can finally breathe a sigh of relief as her production, ‘Datta,’ based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s popular novel of the same name, is finally hitting theatres despite numerous obstacles. The journey of shooting ‘Datta’ has been filled with sleepless nights for Rituparna. Directed by debutant Nirmal Chakravarty, the crew had to halt its shooting schedule for an extended period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, there were some casting changes along the way. Initially, Bangladeshi actor Ferdaus was set to play one of the leading roles. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, Ferdaus had to withdraw from the project and Shaheb Chatterjee stepped in. The production also faced an unexpected setback when cyclone Amphan ravaged Kolkata in 2020. Among the damages incurred was the loss of the costume trunk for ‘Datta’. But the actor said that she is happy now as ‘Datta’ finally hits theatres on June 16.
“It’s an interesting project, which went through a lot of hurdles. We had to reshoot several scenes. At one point in time, I was depressed with all that was happening. But then, I have always taken up challenges. Our mission was to complete the shoot,” said Rituparna.
For the actor, 2023 is a year of releases. After Arindam Sil’s period piece ‘Mayakumari’, she was seen playing a single mother in Tathagata Bhattacharjee Bengali film ‘Akorik’, which highlighted the structural changes in Bengali families over the years. In ‘Akorik’, she said, it was a ‘lifetime experience’ working with Victor Banerjee. In ‘Datta’, she will be seen as Bijoya, a character immortalised by Suchitra Sen and directed by the famous Ajoy Kar.
Rituparna considered it a blessing to portray a character previously brought to life by the legendary Suchitra Sen. However, she didn’t allow the weight of this legacy to overwhelm her. Instead, the focus remained on creating a simple film where the power of storytelling takes center stage.
After a significant gap, Rituparna is making a comeback in Bollywood with consecutive film projects. In the late 2000s, she portrayed powerful characters in Hindi films, notably in ‘Main, Meri Patni Aur Who’. However, due to her strong commitment to Bengali cinema, Rituparna couldn’t dedicate as much time to her Hindi counterparts. Although she has some regrets, she cherishes the love and support she has received from the Bengali film industry.
“At times, I feel I could have allotted some more time to Bollywood. But then, nothing was planned. I had innumerable commitments in Bengal and my son, Ankan, was a toddler then. I did some good films in Hindi like ‘Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji’, ‘Bumm Bumm Bole’ and ‘Mittal Vs Mittal’. I could have been more persistent then,” she said.
This year, Rituparna has multiple Hindi films up for release. From ‘Bansuri’ starring Anurag Kashyap; ‘Ittar’ with Deepak Tijori and ‘Kal Trighori’ opposite Arbaaz Khan to ‘Khoobsurat Padosan’, the actor can’t wait for the Hindi audience to watch her films again. In Bengali, too, she has ‘Beautiful Life’, ‘Labangalata’ and ‘Sporsha’. She has signed on a slew of Bangladeshi films opposite her dear friend Ferdaus. Then, she plays a cop in the Bengali flick ‘Shikar’ alongside Yash and Nusrat Jahan. Rituparna is also looking forward to Kaushik Ganguly’s next, where she pairs opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee in their 50th film. And yes, she is also interested in exploring OTT and is still awaiting good Hindi projects. “Maybe, something like a ‘Virgin River’ would be interesting,” she smiled.
Today, Rituparna leads a life constantly on the move, often living out of a suitcase. Between her professional commitments in Kolkata and Mumbai, she ensures flying back to Singapore to be with her family. Motherhood, she admitted, presents its fair share of challenges and there are moments when she regrets not being able to dedicate enough time to both of her children.
“Just like my family, I love my profession too. But when I return to Singapore after a tiring flight and see their faces, I know all the hard work has been worth it,” she said.
