'I prefer to stay busy'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bidita Bag have been making headlines these days for their upcoming film ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’ directed by Kushan Nandy. Model-turned actor Bidita is eagerly looking forward to the release of the film.

A part of the industry since 2012, when she did a commercial film called ‘From Sydney with Love’, she made her presence felt with a Bengali film ‘Icche’ in 2013 and later, a socio-political thriller ‘As The River Flows’. In a tete-a-tete, Babita talks to Anila Kurian about the release of the upcoming film and her character.

The evident chemistry between you and Nawazuddin in the film is much talked about...
Such a character has not been explored much before and I’m proud to play a bold girl like this.

What was it like working with Nawazuddin?
He is an acting institute by himself. He has so much experience and I learnt a lot by working with him.

Can you recall any interesting moments?
When we first started shooting, I thought Nawaz sir was flirting with me and I found that quite odd. Then I realised that he was getting into his character. So I started flirting back and it made the shoot so much more fun!

Have you signed up for any other projects?
I’m patiently waiting for ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’ to release to know how the audience has responded to it. I will sign more movies after that. Apart from that, I finished working in ‘Daya Bai’ which is a biopic of a female gangster.

A few years down the line, what kind of actor do you want to be known as?
The kind of actor who hasn’t repeated herself. I haven’t done that so far and I hope to continue doing the same.

Have you found any similarities with a character you’ve played?
I think I relate more to Daya Bai as she was a people’s person. She left her home with no money but never went hungry. She was good at talking to people and building connections with them and that helped her survive. I find certain qualities of her similar to that of mine.

Do you get any free time?
I had a lot of free time in 2013 and 2014 as I wasn‘t doing so well health and work wise. It was a bad period for me. Now I have realised that happiness is a state of mind. I prefer to stay busy all the time.

The best advice you’ve received.
Never neglect your physical and mental health. Take care of your mind and your body and the rest will follow.

Your thoughts on Bengaluru...
It’s a great city and I have many friends in the city. I’m a fan of Pankaj Advani; he makes our country proud every time he plays. Bengaluru has many talented people like that.