I just want to go with my instincts: Chitrangada

HAPPY TO BE BACK: Chitrangada will be seen in director Onir’s new film Sorry Bhai.

    

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She dazzled both audiences and filmmakers alike with her arresting looks and her heartfelt performance in Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi, and those who saw her second film Kal vouch for the fact that she is no one-film wonder but she has got real acting skills to show. However, she vanished without much warning.

Three years later Chitrangada Singh is back rubbishing all the rumours set for brand new innings. She drives right into My Brother Nikhil-director Onir’s new film Sorry Bhai that also stars Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani. Sanjay Suri and Sherman Joshi. And what’s more Chitrangada says that she has no intentions of being pigeon hold as an art actress so one can expect her to sing and dance. Entertainment Editor CNN-IBN, Rajeev Masand caught up with the actress to find out more.

Rajeev Masand: Chitrangada Singh welcome back to Bollywood. You did two films, got everyone excited and just took off, and it has been three years.

Chitrangada Singh I took off and yes it has been three long years. And I am very happy to be back.

Rajeev Masand: The audience and the industry responded so warmly to both of your films Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi and Kal.

Chitrangada Singh I did not expect such a response from the people. I am absolutely surprised and delighted at the same time. It was something that was not planned very well and it just came as a huge surprise. I probably don’t know how I was feeling at that time. But it was obviously great. It was lovely.

Rajeev Masand: How come you took off at a time when everyone was discovering this new face and so excited about the fact that here was someone who could look lovely and act well at the same time.

Chitrangada Singh The big question!

It just keeps coming back. It was nothing. At that moment I wasn’t ready to handle so much since it wasn’t planned for me in the first place. I had no plans to come into the industry so it was my inability at that point to handle everything.

Sometimes you are speechless and are lost for words and it was something like that. I thought that I would take a step back and see how it feels about the whole thing and then come back.

Rajeev Masand: There was a story about your husband golfer, Jyoti Randhawa and his family not being very comfortable with you leaving the home, being in Mumbai and be working, was it true?

Chitrangada Singh It wasn’t true at all. I am not just saying that but it really wasn’t true. I wouldn’t be there working in the first place and doing the second film after that. That was the case. But it obviously got misread because I didn’t make any formal statement about it.

And I didn’t do that because I didn’t want to get into the whole thing of wanting to explain myself that he is not the one to blame. I just was disappointed with the thing that happened to me. It was not making me happy so I just left.

Rajeev Masand: Was it difficult at a time to walk away when things looked so promising?

Chitrangada Singh It was a little difficult but I thought I made the right decision at that time . I wanted to be home and wanted to spend time with the family. I needed to do that for myself so I did that and I am happy that I am back here now.

Rajeev Masand: What is it about Onir’s Sorry Bhai that made you say, ‘Okay, this is the one. This is the one that I dreamt about’.

Chitrangada Singh The script. It was fantastic. I loved the script and I loved the star cast, as all the actors were so good. I would love to work to work with a star cast like that. But the script is actually the hero of the film.

Rajeev Masand: Looking back, how do you remember Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi ? It was a film that touched so many people wasn’t it?

Chitrangada Singh Yes, it was a film that touched so many people and even today I have people coming up to me and saying, ‘Thank you for making a film like that’. And it is not only older people who understand that error but even younger people like college-going people.

I was in New York shopping and a girl walked up to me and said, ‘Are you Chitrangada?’ And I couldn’t believe it when she told me that she was studying about my film in the art appreciation course.

It is amazing how the film has touched people. We really had not idea that it would become what it became while shooting the film. It became Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi.

Rajeev Masand: I am sure you have heard the innumerable comparisions to Smita Patil.

Chitrangada Singh It is amazing. It is a great comparision and I personally feel that Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil were the true actresses.

Not because they did parallel cinema that they became actresses. They were the sole actresses of their times and even now. To be compared to one of them is simply a huge compliment for me.

Rajeev Masand: What are the films that you grew up on? What is your background? How come we know so little about you?

Chitrangada Singh I grew up on a lot of Amitabh Bachchan films. I was a huge fan of Amitabh. I also grew up on Dharmendar films.

Rajeev Masand: Were you a trained actress? How did they find you?

Chitrangada Singh I am not a trained actress. They found me as I did a music video with Sanjay Suri for Gulzar saheb which he directed it. I am working with Sanjay again.

I was seen in the music video and somebody suggested my name for the auditions of Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi. The team had come to Delhi to audition girls form the National School of Drama. I landed up for the auditions. It is my discovery of myself actually more than anything else.

Rajeev Masand: Does it worry you that you might be slotted as an art house actress?

Chitrangada Singh Not at all. An actress is an actress. I understand that in Bollywood that the whole thing is orchestrated and that you are either called a big-banner actress or not-so-big-banner actress.

I didn’t do that. I really didn’t orchestrate my launch that way. It became a launch pad because of a great director and very good performances. I guess I am not orchestrating my comeback so much, But I feel if you are an actress and if you want to do something and trust the director then you have to go ahead with it.

If you really go searching for banners and orchestrating your films then I really don’t know how much of quality work you will land up with. I just want to go with my instincts.

Rajeev Masand: You said that you wanted to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so do you see yourself doing the song and dance routine because that is something that you didn’t get a chance to do earlier.

Chitrangada Singh Yes, I haven’t got a chance to do that but I would love to do that.

Rajeev Masand: Do you dance?

Chitrangada Singh I can dance really well.

Rajeev Masand: So we will wait and watch.

Chitrangada Singh Yes, you wait and watch.

Rajeev Masand: Best of luck and we are looking forward to see lots more. It is great to have you back and we will be tracking every move of your’s.

Chitrangada SinghThank you so much.