Watch N Mahalakshmi, Editor of the Outlook Business in conversation with our #WoWCelebrity of the evening, Rituparna Sengupta.
#RituparnaSengupta #Celebrity #NMahalakshmi #WoW2019 #Business #OutlookBusiness #OutlookMagazine #OutlookGroup
#RituparnaSengupta #Celebrity #NMahalakshmi #WoW2019 #Business #OutlookBusiness #OutlookMagazine #OutlookGroup
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00:00 This is where we've reached the grand finale of this evening as it gives me great pleasure in welcoming
00:07 Outlook Business' wow celebrity of the evening.
00:11 She started her career with her first film Shwet Pathore Thala that was directed by Mr. Prabhat Roy
00:19 an eminent director of Tollywood after which there was absolutely no looking back.
00:25 She has been the reigning queen of Tollywood film industry with more than 100 films including parallel cinema
00:32 and has worked with directors Prabhat Roy, Swapan Saha, Harna Chakraborty, Sujit Guha, Chiranjee Chakraborty,
00:40 Agnidev Chatterjee, Shibuprasad Mukherjee and many many others.
00:45 Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome on stage National Award winner and leading Bengali actress Ritu Purna Singh Gupta.
00:55 Thank you so much for joining us. Please take your seat and I'd like to invite Miss N. Mahalakshmi
01:08 to please join me on stage. Outlook Business editor Miss N. Mahalakshmi will be moderating the chat.
01:31 It's been a beautiful evening so far and even more beautiful to be sitting next to you
01:38 and it's a pleasure to do this conversation. Thank you so much for taking the time out to be with us today.
01:47 Thank you.
01:48 So yeah, I think it's worth the wait.
01:57 Good evening everyone. Really happy to be here because today I'm in a little bit of a haste
02:05 because my own movie which just released today, Ahare, is being premiered
02:12 and I actually just took myself out of it and joined Outlook because I feel that Outlook is worthy to come.
02:25 Thank you so much. That makes this conversation even more special because it's a special day for her.
02:32 Yes, it is. And today is my mom's birthday as well.
02:35 So we were all celebrating it together with my film and of course this women achieving so many awards.
02:45 I think this is also a celebration for all womanhood. So I think I'm a part of it.
02:49 I basically feel very much, you know, very elated and happy.
02:53 Thank you. You've sort of created a nice niche for yourself across films and TV.
03:02 Tell us what was that point when you really thought that acting is what you wanted to pursue for the rest of your life?
03:12 That's a good question. Actually, I never thought to be an actor any point of time of my life
03:18 because when I was a student, I always aspired to become a teacher.
03:23 And all my essays used to have like, "What you want to be? I want to become a teacher."
03:29 That's the only thing I used to write. And I used to have a lot of passion about dancing.
03:34 But one day in one of my dance performances, somebody saw me and, you know, they wanted to cast me in their film.
03:42 And that's how the offer came. And then I was my...
03:46 When was this? This was when you were...
03:47 That was in mid-90s. And my parents and my home was completely like very rigid and nothing to do with films.
03:55 My father was in pharmaceuticals and my mom was a housewife. So absolutely nothing to do with films.
04:01 So very conservative people and they wanted me to become some IAS, IPS, some examinations to be given.
04:08 But whatever it is, that was quite a fun thing I did. I just said, "Okay, fine. Let me try. Let me do something out of fun."
04:17 But then, you know, that turned out to be one of the turning points of my life.
04:21 And that movie became a huge hit, which is called Sheth Patra Thala.
04:24 Just she mentioned about the film and that won the National Award actually that particular year.
04:30 And the movie, I actually shared my screen space with Aparna Sen, a veteran like her.
04:36 And that's how my journey started. And it was just a teenager girl who was like bubbling with energy.
04:41 I came in the movies. And after that, there was no looking back.
04:45 And I was like, sort of, you know, filled with offers. But my father used to often turn them down.
04:54 And, you know, whenever a producer's phone call used to come, my father, "No, no, no, my daughter is having an exam.
04:59 She's not any more interested in movies." So he used to snap the phone.
05:03 I said, then after that, as destiny would have it, you know, something triggered in me.
05:08 And I was gaining some sort of…
05:10 And what would be your reaction to your dad when he did that to you?
05:14 I was like, "Why are you doing this? No, no, no, you have to study now.
05:18 After that, you think about… after your exams, after your results, you think about it."
05:22 I said, "Okay, fine." You know, then I pursued my studies as well.
05:25 I was a student from Lady Brabant College and then I went to the university.
05:29 And after that… But, you know, I don't know, maybe this was my destiny and films started happening to me.
05:36 Directors started contacting me. Something happened.
05:39 And then within a few years, you know, I was noticed, you know,
05:44 and then in one or two of my films became big blockbuster.
05:48 And then, you know, I started, you know, certain amount of interest I also started having in it.
05:55 And then the rest is history.
05:58 So what did you love about it the most?
06:01 Was it the acting? Was it the first brush with stardom?
06:05 What was it? Was it the attention and early success?
06:09 No, I must not… I won't say attention, early success, not that.
06:12 Something triggered in me, some instinct, you know, that told me that maybe this is what you are made for.
06:19 You know, you are like cut out for this and you have to pursue your dream.
06:24 You have to be hardworking in, you know, achieving what you want.
06:28 You know, certain, you know, I don't know, some push, some, you know, kick started, you know, getting in me.
06:37 And then I said, "Okay, fine, let me actually give it a thought.
06:41 I mean, let me actually give it a serious thought that maybe I can achieve and I can be there."
06:46 But I have never been tutored or I've never been to a school, acting school.
06:50 It's all about my instinct. It's about very, you know, I'm a very instinctive actress
06:56 and I always said that I didn't go through any regime or any sort of classes.
07:03 So it all happened very naturally to me.
07:05 So that natural instinct actually pursued me to move on.
07:09 And today, you know, I have been doing a lot of films from different categories, you know,
07:15 like be it parallel cinema, be it middle road cinema, be it commercial.
07:19 I've tried to, you know, walk in and walk out of those roles.
07:23 And few roles are, of course, memorable within people's mind.
07:26 Roles that are really closest to your heart?
07:28 Well, I did one film in the initial stage of my life, which was called Shoshudwari Jindaba.
07:34 That's a very big commercial hit.
07:36 And then I did Parumithar Agdin, which was directed by none other than Aparna Sen again.
07:43 And that was one very beautiful journey of a woman with her mother-in-law
07:49 and how she actually took over, you know, the emotions of a family.
07:56 It's a very beautiful subject.
07:58 And then I did Dauhun with Ritu Ponnubhosh, which actually got me the National Award.
08:03 And I'm very proud of it.
08:05 And many, Mukta Dhaara, Prakhton recently had a huge reckoning.
08:11 And recently I did Drishti Kon, which is again a beautiful film.
08:15 Then Raj Kahini.
08:17 So many, many, many films are very close to my heart.
08:20 Actually, whatever I do is close to my heart.
08:22 I actually put a lot of my energy and my effort.
08:25 But everything doesn't pay off.
08:27 But then, of course, something has happened very beautifully in my career.
08:31 And I don't have any regrets.
08:33 Sure.
08:34 You know, this is one of the most beautiful things about you, that you've seen a lot of success.
08:39 You've got critical acclaim as well as commercial success.
08:42 That's a really hard combination to crack.
08:44 So what went behind your film choices, really?
08:49 Well, of course, subject.
08:52 If I'm not emotionally connected to a film, I don't do it.
08:57 If I don't feel that, you know, inside me...
09:00 But is that something you can really decide upfront?
09:02 I do, actually.
09:03 Because whenever I'm narrated a certain subject, I actually try to feel the whole, you know, the underlying thought in it.
09:12 And if it actually gives me that high, that yes, of course, I will portray something very different, something very interesting.
09:19 Something very interesting will be conveyed to my audience.
09:25 Then only I pick up that subject.
09:27 Because I'm not really happy with just a film, just a story, just a character, nothing like that.
09:35 It has to be something special, which will trigger some kind of emotional value to the people.
09:40 Sure.
09:41 One of the unusual things about you is, pretty much at the peak of your career, you chose to get married, go down that path.
09:53 How did you take that call?
09:57 And thereafter, how did you really prioritize and balance career with personal life?
10:03 That's a loaded question.
10:06 That is my secret.
10:08 Well, I think it's a difficult journey, of course.
10:13 I mustn't say that this is very easy.
10:14 This is not a cakewalk.
10:16 It's something which actually has to be very well exercised and very well devised in your life.
10:25 Otherwise, you can't do it.
10:27 Maybe you have to have a little bit of discipline.
10:29 Maybe you have to have a lot of balance in it.
10:32 And sensitivity, of course.
10:34 Because the way we are actually made, we are very emotional, sometimes very berserk, sometimes not controlled.
10:42 But our families are much more controlled, conservative.
10:46 You have to hold it like a very matured person.
10:52 So, it's a very difficult task.
10:55 But I have tried to make a balance because my family was also very important to me.
11:00 And my marriage, my kids, everybody, my whole in-laws, in-law family, they actually make a lot of difference in my life.
11:11 And they actually have supported me through a lot of odds.
11:16 So, I think I should respect them.
11:18 Because it's not so easy to handle a superstar in a family.
11:23 It's difficult.
11:24 Because they don't come from any film background.
11:27 Neither I come from a film background.
11:29 So, it's a very difficult combination.
11:31 When I go out there and shoot till 4 am in the morning and come back, it's a difficult situation.
11:36 You know like, everybody sleeps in the house, I'm walking in stealthily like a thief, going up there, not making any noise.
11:44 So, they have to adjust to that kind of a life, which is very difficult.
11:48 My husband's only complaint is about time.
11:50 Because he said that you don't spend enough time with me.
11:53 So, a lot of misunderstandings crop up also.
11:57 You know like loneliness, unhappiness, family hues.
12:00 It happens.
12:02 But at the end of the day, you have to know how to manage it.
12:05 So, you have to be much more equipped and matured and much more efficient in whatever you are doing.
12:14 So, it's a difficult task, I must say.
12:17 Can you recall some of your most challenging moments?
12:20 Yes, of course.
12:21 Most challenging moments were when I was about to give birth to my child.
12:26 That time I had to take a lot of time off.
12:28 And I was kind of called to Singapore because my husband stays there.
12:36 So, he said, "Nothing doing. You have to be off from your shootings.
12:41 Now you have to come there and live for some time and have the baby."
12:46 So, that time I was just finishing up some of my pending assignments.
12:50 Because they said that if it's like a six-month gap, then they are also in a very difficult situation.
12:57 They cannot do something, whatever they were accomplishing.
13:01 It's sort of release of the film and all that.
13:03 So, I had to go through a lot of pain that time.
13:06 Though my body was not permitting, I had to go there and dub the film before I left for the US.
13:15 First baby was born in the US.
13:17 So, that time also I was finishing a lot of pending work.
13:20 So, few situations are there, of course, I have faced which are not very easy.
13:26 And later on also, sometimes my husband's schedule and mine don't match at all.
13:32 You know, my son studies in Singapore.
13:35 So, we cannot leave him alone.
13:38 So, somebody has to make the sacrifice.
13:40 So, many a times he did it.
13:42 And sometimes when it's my turn, maybe that time I'm having a huge assignment.
13:46 I have to request my husband, "Please, you have to take this up this time."
13:50 So, you know, few things, it's very difficult.
13:53 It's not a very easy situation, of course.
13:55 But then, if the love is there, if the adjustment is there, you have to, you know, you stay with it.
14:02 Are they, was there any point in time at all when you thought it was a little too much to handle and wanted to quit?
14:09 And what did you tell yourself to move forward?
14:12 For my films, I mean my profession?
14:14 Yeah.
14:15 Yeah.
14:16 Yeah, sometimes you feel exasperated.
14:18 Sometimes you feel just, you know, "Okay, fine. Just let me let it go."
14:22 But, you know, every morning when I wake up, I think, "No, I can't do it."
14:25 Because I worked too hard for this.
14:27 I have really given my very precious years to it.
14:30 My toil, my hard work, my everything, you know.
14:34 This is, this is, I cannot, this, if I leave it, then I will do injustice to what I have actually believed in for so long.
14:42 So, I can't do it.
14:44 So, every morning I just feel charged.
14:47 Again, I think that I'll give up.
14:50 It is like a trial and error basis.
14:52 It goes on and on and on.
14:54 But I couldn't master the courage to give it up till now.
14:57 But maybe I don't know in future what will happen.
15:00 But life is demanding, of course.
15:03 It's not easy.
15:04 Sure.
15:05 Tell me, if you were to, to summarize your success factors in just three words, how would you describe it?
15:12 Well, three words, I must say, one is definitely positive energy, which always keeps me going.
15:18 Second is I always want to face challenges and I'm not a very, I'm not a person who will just settle it for less.
15:28 I want to face challenges.
15:30 And the third is that, you know, I'm a very emotional person and my emotion quotient is more than anything else.
15:39 So, be it my family, be it my career, my emotion is the foremost thing I look for.
15:46 And that is how I'm, you know, made and I'm going to it.
15:52 And what would be your advice to budding actors?
15:58 My advice would be, of course, don't, don't feel discouraged and don't leave and don't think that, you know, you cannot do it.
16:10 You have to do it and you are an achiever.
16:12 You have to feel that I will do it one day and I will overcome.
16:16 So that's, that's the mantra that we shall overcome and I will overcome this situation.
16:21 Some nice thing is ahead of me, you know, waiting for me.
16:25 That's what it is.
16:26 Thank you, Ritu.
16:27 Thank you.
16:28 Thank you so much.
16:29 Thank you for inviting me over and it's a beautiful chat.
16:33 And I feel I'm now I'm feeling a little charged that you have gone into questions from my heart.
16:40 You have asked and I've answered it.
16:42 Thank you.
16:43 Something you sometimes you feel that you want to say so many things, but you can't.
16:47 But today your questions have given me that vent to answer all the questions.
16:51 Thank you.
16:52 Thank you.
16:53 Thank you so much.
16:54 Thank you.
16:55 Thank you Outlook for inviting me.
16:56 Thank you so much.
16:57 What a wonderful conversation.
16:58 I'm going to request you to please stay with me on stage and invite Mrs.
17:02 Veena Niravani, President Army Wives Welfare Association of the Army Training Command, Eastern Command.
17:09 Please join us on stage as we present a token of our gratitude to Miss Ritu Parna and also
17:15 as we present to her the Outlook Women of Worth Award this evening.
17:19 Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it.
17:21 Also like to request Mr. Indranil Roy to please join us on stage to do the honors.
17:31 And we have the award on stage.
17:41 Let's hear it once again.
18:07 Thank you so much.
18:08 Thank you very much for having this fantastic conversation with us this evening.
18:15 Thank you very much to Miss N. Mahalakshmi.
18:17 Thank you, Miss Niravani.
18:18 Thank you.
18:19 Thank you.
18:20 Thanks a lot.
18:21 Thank you, Mr. Roy.
18:22 Thank you.
18:24 Thank you.
18:26 Thank you.
18:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]