Sun, sand and surf makes up Ritabhari Chakraborty’s annual calendar with Club Salon, shot in Phuket in December. Quite the actor, producer and writer’s state of mind too. One of unabandoned joy, exhilaration and living without shackles. Ahead of its unveiling today, Ritabhari shared some exclusive photographs with The Telegraph and told us why 2023 is the year of Ritabhari.
Congratulations! The pictures look stunning. This is the first time you travelled abroad with the calendar. What was that experience like?
Club Salon and I have been doing this calendar for the last five years. This is going to be our fifth year and this was incredibly special and we wanted to do something beyond what we had already done and given that the fear of Covid has somewhat reduced and we can be a child of the world again, that was what we tried to capture in the theme. We wanted to portray sunshine and the fact that we can breathe again freely and the sheer openness of nature through the pictures. We had a lot of fun. It was like a mini vacation and shoot, almost like when work feels like vacation.
Where in Phuket did you shoot it?
Phuket is beautiful. We did most of the shoot on Kamala Beach. The mountains, the trees, the sea... it was incredible.
Being a water baby, you must have had a blast?!
I did have a blast! At one point my stylist was debating whether we should take pictures inside the water, worried I would get sick. I was like, we had gone there all the way to shoot on a beach and there’s no way I would come away without getting into the water! (Laughs) Cape Sienna, the resort we were staying at, had an infinity private Jacuzzi overlooking the ocean and you could literally not take me out of water while I was there.
You were also telling us that this is your first trip to Thailand...
(Laughs) Yes, this was my first trip to Thailand. People keep laughing that it’s so close to home and I haven’t been there, but better late than never. I am so glad I made this trip. Phuket was stunning and the water was green and blue. We made one stop in Bangkok just to shop! (Laughs out loud) Pack some nice sunscreen, hats and beachwear. Just be free and yourself on the beach!
What did you bring back?
I wish I could bring back coral, but that’s not allowed. I found some fun stuff in Bangkok. From Phuket, I mostly brought back memories and great pictures because I was so mesmerised by the beauty of nature that I didn’t feel much of my materialistic self (laughs), but that self was revived the moment I landed in Bangkok. I went crazy shopping.
2023 is special for many reasons, for you. What’s the mood like at the beginning of the year?
It is... I got my life back! I was under a lot of physical and mental trauma in the last couple of years and finally I can be free and I am a whole new person. I started the year with a trip to the States. I have been to Chicago and Los Angeles a million times and it does deserve a special mention like always, but I saw New Orleans for the first time and it was what I needed as a closure to whatever I had gone through.
The mood is chill and I am vibing with the energy that’s coming my way and looking at better and newer things to do. I met up with my UCLA friends and teachers when I was in LA. In hindsight, the pandemic not only brought bad things, but good things too and I probably wouldn’t have ended up doing the UCLA course if not for the pandemic. (Ritabhari also won the Acting For Camera Program). Life has been tough, but it’s never all bad. I have Fatafati about to release and it’s a mixed bag of work I am looking forward to.
So, this year will belong to…
This year will belong to me. This year is all about self-love. I have literally restored my space where I am comfortable in my own skin and feel free again.
Styled by: Sandy
Hair: Gini Halder
Make-up: Babusona Saha
Coordinated by: Madhuja Bhowmick, Arijita Das
Location: Kamala Beach Phuket, Cape Sienna Phuket, Nai Harn Beach Phuket