Already a mother when she debuted, Chitrangda Singh was mesmerizing. She’s no in-your-face feminist. She believes in earning her due with talent and tenacity. Like her unveiling, Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, two decades ago, nothing has been customary about her. Not only as the sensitive Geeta Rao, a woman who views life through the prism of her relationships, but also because of her resemblance to the late Smita Patil. Several summers later, her romance with the camera is still aflame with hazaaron khwaishein… each worth living and dying for… Rukmini in the recent Gaslight being her latest avatar.
Masala: Gaslight – what’s the significance of the title?
Chitrangda: Firstly, there’s a mystifying gaslight in the film. Also all the characters are gaslighting each other. It’s human nature to gaslight someone, when you’re insecure, sacred or in awe of someone because they challenge you.
Masala: Gaslight features you as the glamorous and intriguing Rukmini. What appealed to you about the character?
Chitrangda: What excited me about Rukmini (stepmother to Sara Ali Khan’s character) were the shades in her persona. You can’t put a finger on one saying this is what she is. The same goes for the other characters in the film. It’s the writing (Neha Veena Sharma and Pavan Kirpalani) that excited me the most.
Masala: What were the nuances you lent to Rukmini?
Chitrangda: The best thing was that I worked with acting coach Rupesh Tulli, on the behest of director Pavan Kirpalani. Pavan wanted a restrained performance. We worked on the nuances like voice modulation. In some scenes, we reduced the dialogue as her silences worked like magic. Rukmini is a femme fatale but we didn’t want it to be obvious. A lot can be gauged through her eyes.
It’s the first time I found a method to my performance, an emotional graph. I thank Rupesh for putting me through those classes for 10 to 12 days. It was such an eye-opener. Sometimes, someone peels the onions for you. This is what Rupesh did vis-à-vis my character.
Masala: What made working with Sara Ali Khan and Vikrant Massey enjoyable?
Chitrangda: It was lovely working with them. Vikrant has done television for 10 years and then OTT and films. He has excelled in every medium. Sara brought great energy on the set and exudes a strong presence on screen. Above all, she’s a positive person. Also, you can’t escape the jokes. It was fun!
Masala: Two decades and you’re still making an impact. What’s kept you going?
Chitrangda: Considering the breaks I’ve taken in between – first for six years and then two years – eight years have gone from the two decades. The amount of work may not have been much. But I’m grateful that despite the breaks, audiences still remember my work, more so my debut Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003).
It’s all about pouring your passion into your work. Big projects and small projects, big roles or small roles… it doesn’t matter. Trust the script, trust your director. When you work with all your heart something memorable comes out of it.
Masala: Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi was indeed a dream debut in that it brought you critical appreciation…
Chitrangda: It’s been a dream but ‘an accidental dream’ debut. I’d no idea what I’d be doing after the film. In fact, no one in the team knew that it would become what it did. Everyone just worked for the love of cinema whether it was the cast including Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, music composer Shantanu Moitra or lyricist Swanand Kirkire. All credit goes to director Sudhir Mishra, who was the only one who knew what was happening. I’m thankful to Sudhir and producer Pritish Nandy for giving me this break.
Masala: You share an uncanny resemblance with the late Smita Patil in Hazaaron… Do you view it as a compliment?
Chitrangda: Yeah I know! I remember after the first screening of Hazaaron… a person kept staring at me from the other end of the room. I didn’t know who he was. He walked up to me, looked straight at me and said, “You are rare!” That was Ketan Mehtaji. He had done so much work with Smitaji – Mirch Masala (1987) being my favourite. He was moved to tears watching me on screen as I reminded him of Smitaji. Till date it’s the biggest compliment I received. Having said that, I don’t think I am anything like her. Even if I have 10 per cent of her talent, it would be great.
Masala: You broke the glass ceiling, coming to films after marriage and motherhood.
Chitrangda: When you’re doing it there’s no such realization of breaking the glass ceiling or making a statement being married and having a child. At that point doing a project passionately is what you’re concerned about. All you need to do is good work. That’s all that matters to the audience. They don’t judge your status, whether you’re dating, married or separated. They’re extremely intelligent. It’s just about keeping your head down, working hard with your instincts and wanting it bad enough.
Masala: What were the challenges you overcame as an outsider?
Chitrangda: As an outsider it takes a while for you to make contacts, to know people and people to know you and the kind of person you are. That is the biggest challenge as an outsider. Often, there are wrong perceptions about you. A lot of times I’ve been told that people wrongly think I am difficult to work with. That I am arrogant, unapproachable and snobbish. But people who end up working with you know you. Growing comfortable enough to approach someone and say ‘I want to work with you’ also takes time. In the bargain, you may end up losing work because you didn’t know the person or the person thought something else about you. A lot gets lost in translation. That’s been a bit of a challenge.
Masala: Having lived life on your own terms, how difficult was it to fight patriarchy?
Chitrangda: I don’t think I’ve fought patriarchy. I’m not that kind of a feminist. You just make yourself independent enough to make your decisions and have your opinions. You can’t ask the world to give it to you. You have to pay your dues and earn it. The world will give in if you make yourself capable enough.
I don’t generalize it for others. It keeps me in a happy place and in control. Beyond that what happens is not in my hands. I can’t make people cast me. I can’t make people like me or believe I am approachable and easy to work with.
Masala: Are you close to your goals?
Chitrangda: Goals keep changing as you keep growing and changing. I never thought I’d be an actor. But I did. I never thought I’d produce a film (Soorma 2018) and I did. I never thought I’d write a short film but I have. The only thing I can hope for is to have enough goals to go for. Every morning I should wake up and be able to say, ‘Damn I’ve got to do this!’ As long as I remain excited, that’s life for me.
Masala: What are the lessons you picked along the way?
Chitrangda: Make yourself capable and work on yourself all the time. Be patient. Learn to take a no better than a yes. Most importantly, have a life apart from work. It’s important to travel, go out and find another perspective about yourself and life. Otherwise, it could consume you. If you’re emotionally happy, then you don’t depend on this one film or role to make you feel you’re worth it.
Masala: Which of your films do you hold close to your heart and why?
Chitrangda: I cherish Hazaaron… When I watch it today I can’t help feeling ‘such a nice and innocent girl!’
The first film has this quality. The second will never have it. I cherish Sudhir Mishra’s Inkaar (2013) as well. I relate to Maya Luthra, who has much of me. She’s not a hard nosed feminist. She’s everything all at once. She’s in love. She’s kind and tough. She’s resolute but still gives in. She’s real.
Masala: How would you describe yourself?
Chitrangda: I am impulsive, emotional, and unsure a lot of times hence figuring things and constantly working on myself. I am my worst critic. I find too many things I need to improve upon. I am a jeans-T-shirt-sneakers kind of a person.
Masala: Anything that you’d like to rewrite about your life?
Chitrangda: I wish I’d been more focused and worked harder than I did when I began my career. That’s the only regret. I guess it’s the mistakes that make you a deeper person.
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