'Internet is a big help for small films'

Candid talk

Women-oriented cinema is taking centre stage,” feels actor Deepti Naval. “There was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when girls went back to being glamour girls but now Kangana (Ranaut), Priyanka (Chopra) and Deepika (Padukone) are portraying strong women characters.

While they are able to pull off a Tanu Weds Manu, they are also able to do Barfi! which is a positive change,” adds Naval, who is popular for her strong characters in films including Kamla, Mirch Masala and Ankahee. 

With stories like Waiting, Piku and Mary Kom garnering a “niche audience”, the 63-year-old says that films have more scope today. “I had done films like Main Zinda Hoon and Panchvati but they didn’t get to be seen. Now all kinds of films are seen and appreciated. That is a big change,” Naval tells Metrolife.

Taking small-budget films into consideration, she mentions that The Lunchbox and Masaan are examples of how strong subject matter draws audiences. She also mentions that proliferation of the internet has played a huge role in promotion of small-budget films. “It’s a big help for small films as it reaches more people at a comparatively low cost,” says the artiste.

Naval, who will soon be sharing screen space with Hollywood actor Nicole Kidman in the film Lion says, “I’m interested in small experimental roles. As long as it is an interesting script, I don’t mind the length of the role.” 

Meanwhile, known primarily as an actor, Naval has also been pursuing her passion for the written word for a long time and had compiled two poems — Lamha Lamha in 1981 and Black Wind in 2004. 

At the recently-held re-launch of the book Lamha Lamha organised by Society of Performing Arts for Cultural Exchange in the capital recently, she mentions, “A lot of friends have asked for that book which was not available for years. Now finally, we have it on us again. It is hugely romantic and indulges in the feeling of romance and
loneliness.”