'I've made wrong choices' for the right reasons'

Nandita Das loves to don various hats. The multi-talented actress, who was in the City recently, spoke to Metrolife about films and life. “I’ve been coming to Bangalore for years now. Many of my good friends from Delhi and Mumbai have moved to Bangalore over the years. This City is more at ease compared to most other cities and it’s definitely more green,” says Nandita.

She adds that Bangalore appreciates art and theatre. “Around 15 to 20 years ago, most people who didn’t want to go into mainstream professions were from Bangalore. The theatre scene here is vibrant with the likes of Girish Karnad, Arundathi Nag and others. People here are not just educated but also more discerning,” she says.

Nandita has acted in 30 movies and plays, lent her voice to different projects and even directed a movie. She considers each of these a different experience. “They are different in form but at the same time, their intentions are the same. They are all creative ways of expressing myself,” she says.

Nandita likes doing different things. “Specialising in something is overrated. It’s pressurising to have people expect things from you. I don’t think of myself as an actor or a performer. I’m a restless person and can’t stick to one thing. I do different things that occupy and interest me,” she says.

   She doesn’t have the fear of failure. “When one is trying something new, it may or may not work. I feel happy at the moment,” she adds.

Ask Nandita if the experience of acting varies with each language and pat comes the reply, “Once the language varies from your root language, the experience differs. I’ve acted in four Malayalam movies and a Kannada and Telugu movie each. Every time I’ve done a Southern movie, I have felt like I’m in an examination and should never repeat the experience. But then fresh scripts come my way,” she narrates.

Nandita chooses a movie when she is comfortable with the story, director and role.
“I also follow my instincts.

But I wouldn’t say that all my choices were perfect. I’ve made wrong choices for the right reasons,” she says.

The movie scene has changed over the years, voices Nandita. “Money has become very important now. In the 50s and 60s, there was no separation of commercial and parallel cinema. Films were more rooted in reality. Slowly, action and other stories flowed in. Now there are all sorts of movies varying from ‘multiplex cinema’ to what not,” she says.

Nandita is busy working on a Spanish movie, which is being shot in Mumbai and Barcelona. “I play an Indian actress. For the first time, I’ve done a dance sequence. It’s not an item number but the dance was different and Saroj Khan did the choreography. I’m doing jhatkas and matkas for the first time,” Nandita notes. She has also done Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyo Aata Hain by Soumitra Ranades, which is about the anger of today’s youth.

Multi-tasking is hard, says Nandita. “But when it is a choice, the feeling is different. I want everything and this dilemma is there with every working woman. I am thoroughly enjoying being a mother at the moment,” says Nandita. Her favourite pastime is spending precious moments with Vihaan, her son. “It’s such an endearing experience to see the world from his eyes,” she wraps up.