Rituparna Sengupta has started the year on a sweet note with the shoot of the film Salt! “My new year has started off well and hopefully the year will shine bright. I’ll be starting another Hindi film with Koushik Sen… and I have quite a few films lined up for release… I am waiting for that. My hands are full now. But I’ll finish my work and go back to my family (in Singapore)… my children are waiting for me,” smiles Rituparna, who is in town currently, having spent the pandemic months with her family in Singapore. A t2 chat...

Welcome back to the city! What made you decide to finally come back to Calcutta?

(Laughs) Of course, I’ll come back... Calcutta is my city, my home. Obviously, I now have two homes, one in Calcutta and another in Singapore. Calcutta has always been my base from where I work... Calcutta means my childhood, my growing-up days, family... my significant work place is in Calcutta and other parts of India. I strongly feel for both — my work and my personal space. I think I have matured as a homemaker (laughs). Maybe I have become more efficient as a homemaker now! My work was calling me and that’s why I wanted to come back after 10 months. I felt that I need to get back to work now with a lot of good intentions and meaningful activities in mind. I have back-to-back films now. In fact, I let go of a lot of work. I refused four-five films.

How was your 10-month stay in Singapore?

It was very significant this time. The lockdown was a time to pause, think and rewind... to mend things for the better, in every aspect of life. Actually, I was shooting and doing a lot of work from there. In the past few months, I have done short films, a lot of music videos, dance dramas. I did a film for the migrant workers; a lot of online programmes and webinars. I watched some amazing movies and shows. There was no opportunity to see anybody during the lockdown. My daughter had her birthday during lockdown... she said, “Mom, we have to make up for it.” My son had his birthday when it was just opening up and we could host a small group of people.

I also launched my own YouTube channel and started some work there too. I did photoshoots with local photographers and tried my hand at cooking, and ended up making garlic prawns, which became a hot favourite with my son... I also tried making nice cold coffee and chocolate cakes with my daughter and did a duet music video on International Dance Day. Singapore is very strict and people abide by the rules. We followed all rules. Things were very difficult... but somehow all of us, the family, could spend so much time together... it was long overdue.

How was family time?

We got to see so much of each other. It was a beautiful bonding. We have a pool at home and we made the most of it.... with the children. There were some wonderful music sessions. Sanjay (husband) plays the sarod and we would listen to his renditions. We played indoor games, carrom. We got to know each other a lot better. My daughter has a lot of queries about life... her shopping, dresses, her homework and illustrations, projects... and it is mommy for her! That kept me busy. I also took to cycling and would go cycling with my daughter and son. I would go out with my son for walks, cycling with him and also finding the teenager in him... I became a curious mother every time I interacted with him... sometimes he used to set up the Zoom calls for me, giving me insight into the right technology... I became quite tech savvy I must say! My friends in Singapore are so sweet and amazing. We would meet up on weekends.

Did it make you restless staying in a house, not shooting for films for so many months?
No I wasn’t restless, I enjoyed and lived every moment of it... every day I woke up with new energy and vigour to discover the day. It was a time that grounded us to our realities and got us back to basics, keeping us permanently at home.

My day started with beautiful classical ragas playing on our system. Sanjay introduced me to a plethora of beautiful classical ragas and that was a revelation as he is a wonderful musician though he is absolutely a corporate guy... he spends time on the phone inundated with calls from all over the world... and then one day gives me a compliment by saying that I make the best tea in the world!

How did it feel facing the camera again?

Facing the camera is always a delight for me. It is like a mirror. I can see all my emotions in the camera through the lens. I get a panoramic view of myself through the camera. I have always been in love with the camera and will always be for the rest of my life. Camera defines me and makes me what I am and gives me the fillip to live, to perform, gives me the impetus to live life in a completely different dimension. Camera gives me the whole inspiration. Shooting is in my blood. The artiste in me always provokes me to do something extraordinary and extremely different.

Tell us about your character in the new film that you are shooting with Chandan Roy Sanyal?

I thought Salt will be a very good start for 2021. I was delighted to get the script and felt it would mean something different to my audience. I was looking for subjects that would usher in a change. The story is very intriguing, the production design is very smart. The boy is an architect and the girl an author. They have a different way of looking at life. They part ways and again they come back. It’s about how life changes for them over the years. The two people interact within a span of 12 years, and how with the changes in their own lives, they see life in a different way.

How is Chandan Roy Sanyal as a co-star?

Chandan is a brilliant actor. We had worked together before in Mahanagar@ Kolkata. He has a huge command over his art and is such an effortless actor. And it is really nice to work with people like him.

We all had to grapple with heartbreaking news of near and dear ones passing away in 2020...
We saw so many deaths one after the other with a heavy heart. I feel so sad for losing so many close ones... it seemed death was beckoning every day. It is so heartbreaking when you lose someone from your family. I have acted with Soumitra kaku (Chatterjee) in so many films. Each of the films were so special to me. He was a most sensitive, courageous actor. He was a guiding light.
There were personal losses in the industry during this time and that perturbed me a lot. I got really worried. We have to make every moment precious for all of us. With a lot of love, care, affection, we have to live through this phase.


Make-up and hair: Chandni Sahu