Actress Rasika Dugal, who is all set to woo the audience yet again with
her much different conceptual film Fairly Folk, gets candid with The Pioneer sharing insights about the film, sharing screen space with husband Mukul Chadda, and more.
her much different conceptual film Fairly Folk, gets candid with The Pioneer sharing insights about the film, sharing screen space with husband Mukul Chadda, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Creativity and versatility go hand-in-hand when Rasika Dugal comes on-screen. Well, undeniably, every time that she comes up with a project, she always leaves a spark behind creating an impact on the audience.
“I feel every actor’s journey is unique, and that is the most beautiful and the most terrifying thing about it,” begins the Mirzapur actress over a quick chat with us. As an actor, she says you get to carve your path but you are often befuddled by the lack of precedence or help while you are on it.
And so, for her, it has been quite a fun adventure. “I have had the opportunity to experiment with different genres, and forms (short films, feature films, series), to play impactful roles in an ensemble cast (Mirzapur, Delhi Crime), to headline some projects (Out of Love, Adhura), and to work with some of the best actors in our country. The quality and variety of work have been pure joy. There are days when I feel that a lot more worked out than I had imagined but, of course, there are days that I feel there is a long long way to go.”
Now, coming up with Fairy Folk, which has been much talk of the town with its not-so-regular concept, she says, it is an improvised film. “The process is unique and therefore the film is very different from anything you might have watched before. The style of shooting gave us room to explore the many odd things that people do and say when they find themselves in unprecedented situations… the beautiful oddities that sometimes get lost in the need to write a ‘logical’ script. I think the improvisations gave a spunk and humour to the dialogue, and that stood out to me as the most refreshing thing about the film when I first watched it. I was drawn to the idea of being in an improvised film. I thought it would be a great experience for an actor. And it was. I think it’s a must-have on every actor’s journey. It teaches you to be a really good collaborator, to really listen to your co-actors, trust your director, and contribute actively towards taking the story forward.”
The film has garnered attention worldwide in many international film festivals. Recalling the responses that she received there, she enthuses, “Audiences at film festivals are very discerning – they watch with apt attention and their love for cinema is palpable. It is a special treat to watch them watch your work and a huge confidence booster when they appreciate the work. Fairy Folk was much loved at the international film festivals it played at and I am now excited for audiences here to watch it. I feel it is the kind of film that lends itself well to a community viewing, and I am delighted that it is releasing in the theatres.”
The project highlights a major thing which has been a much concern these days—bonds and relationships. And she feels, “In the craziness of urban living, we sometimes forget to pause and take a look at our lives. Are we happy where we are ? Is this what we wanted when we started out? Is this what we want right now? Is this who we want to be with? There are never any clear answers to these questions. But a pause to introspect is much needed. In Fairy Folk, Mohit and Ritika (Mukul plays Mohit and I play Ritika) are forced to examine their relationship when a fantastical woodland creature enters their life. And through them, the film very beautifully explores the themes of love, marriage, loneliness, desire, and gender identities. And always with a touch of humour.”
Well, it has been the first time that Rasika is sharing space with her husband Mukul Chadda on the big screen, and they have been no less than delighted for the same. “Mukul and I have worked together as improvisers before this film, so we knew how to jam together. We didn’t have to go to the basics or start from scratch. We already had a working rhythm in place and we could then focus on building on other things. On the flip side, Mukul is usually my sounding board after a long shooting day. I usually come back from the shoot and discuss the day with him – what I felt worked and what didn’t on that day. In this case, since we were shooting together, we didn’t want to burden each other with the other’s opinion on what had happened. And we definitely couldn’t discuss what Ritika or Mohit were thinking because that would completely kill all improvisations.” Sometimes the characters that an actor plays can also affect an actor on the emotional front. But on the other side, the Lust Stories actress loves being immersed in what she’s doing. “I think that’s the ask of the job. I want to be consumed by a piece of work in a way that there is no room for anything else. I enjoy that. So I seek that often. I believe your experiences as a character in a story become a part of your life experience. So it will always be there with you. How much it has affected you or not is hard to quantify and harder to control. These experiences are subliminal and that’s the beauty of it. So, I guess, you manage them just like you manage (or don’t manage) all that you feel in life.”
Always something that exhilarates her to take up a project or a role is an exciting part – a role that either teaches her a new skill or makes her access a part of myself that she hasn’t done before. Then a director who is obsessed with the script, a solid script, and co-actors who thrive on playing off each other.
As we head towards the end of the chat, she reveals there is a lot that is going to come out and it’s going to be an interesting mix of the old and the new. After Fairy Folk, there will be Mirzapur 3. Besides that, there are three other films – Lord Curzon ki Haveli with Arjun Mathur, Little Thomas with Gulshan Devaiah and a more commercial film. “In the series space, there is a new show with Applause that I am very excited about because it’s a very different role for me, there is a sports drama series called Spike in which I play a volleyball coach and there is Shekhar Home with Kay Kay Menon and Ranvir Shorey. Also Delhi Crime season 3 is green lit and we are scheduled to shoot this year.”
Creativity and versatility go hand-in-hand when Rasika Dugal comes on-screen. Well, undeniably, every time that she comes up with a project, she always leaves a spark behind creating an impact on the audience.
“I feel every actor’s journey is unique, and that is the most beautiful and the most terrifying thing about it,” begins the Mirzapur actress over a quick chat with us. As an actor, she says you get to carve your path but you are often befuddled by the lack of precedence or help while you are on it.
And so, for her, it has been quite a fun adventure. “I have had the opportunity to experiment with different genres, and forms (short films, feature films, series), to play impactful roles in an ensemble cast (Mirzapur, Delhi Crime), to headline some projects (Out of Love, Adhura), and to work with some of the best actors in our country. The quality and variety of work have been pure joy. There are days when I feel that a lot more worked out than I had imagined but, of course, there are days that I feel there is a long long way to go.”
Now, coming up with Fairy Folk, which has been much talk of the town with its not-so-regular concept, she says, it is an improvised film. “The process is unique and therefore the film is very different from anything you might have watched before. The style of shooting gave us room to explore the many odd things that people do and say when they find themselves in unprecedented situations… the beautiful oddities that sometimes get lost in the need to write a ‘logical’ script. I think the improvisations gave a spunk and humour to the dialogue, and that stood out to me as the most refreshing thing about the film when I first watched it. I was drawn to the idea of being in an improvised film. I thought it would be a great experience for an actor. And it was. I think it’s a must-have on every actor’s journey. It teaches you to be a really good collaborator, to really listen to your co-actors, trust your director, and contribute actively towards taking the story forward.”
The film has garnered attention worldwide in many international film festivals. Recalling the responses that she received there, she enthuses, “Audiences at film festivals are very discerning – they watch with apt attention and their love for cinema is palpable. It is a special treat to watch them watch your work and a huge confidence booster when they appreciate the work. Fairy Folk was much loved at the international film festivals it played at and I am now excited for audiences here to watch it. I feel it is the kind of film that lends itself well to a community viewing, and I am delighted that it is releasing in the theatres.”
The project highlights a major thing which has been a much concern these days—bonds and relationships. And she feels, “In the craziness of urban living, we sometimes forget to pause and take a look at our lives. Are we happy where we are ? Is this what we wanted when we started out? Is this what we want right now? Is this who we want to be with? There are never any clear answers to these questions. But a pause to introspect is much needed. In Fairy Folk, Mohit and Ritika (Mukul plays Mohit and I play Ritika) are forced to examine their relationship when a fantastical woodland creature enters their life. And through them, the film very beautifully explores the themes of love, marriage, loneliness, desire, and gender identities. And always with a touch of humour.”
Well, it has been the first time that Rasika is sharing space with her husband Mukul Chadda on the big screen, and they have been no less than delighted for the same. “Mukul and I have worked together as improvisers before this film, so we knew how to jam together. We didn’t have to go to the basics or start from scratch. We already had a working rhythm in place and we could then focus on building on other things. On the flip side, Mukul is usually my sounding board after a long shooting day. I usually come back from the shoot and discuss the day with him – what I felt worked and what didn’t on that day. In this case, since we were shooting together, we didn’t want to burden each other with the other’s opinion on what had happened. And we definitely couldn’t discuss what Ritika or Mohit were thinking because that would completely kill all improvisations.” Sometimes the characters that an actor plays can also affect an actor on the emotional front. But on the other side, the Lust Stories actress loves being immersed in what she’s doing. “I think that’s the ask of the job. I want to be consumed by a piece of work in a way that there is no room for anything else. I enjoy that. So I seek that often. I believe your experiences as a character in a story become a part of your life experience. So it will always be there with you. How much it has affected you or not is hard to quantify and harder to control. These experiences are subliminal and that’s the beauty of it. So, I guess, you manage them just like you manage (or don’t manage) all that you feel in life.”
Always something that exhilarates her to take up a project or a role is an exciting part – a role that either teaches her a new skill or makes her access a part of myself that she hasn’t done before. Then a director who is obsessed with the script, a solid script, and co-actors who thrive on playing off each other.
As we head towards the end of the chat, she reveals there is a lot that is going to come out and it’s going to be an interesting mix of the old and the new. After Fairy Folk, there will be Mirzapur 3. Besides that, there are three other films – Lord Curzon ki Haveli with Arjun Mathur, Little Thomas with Gulshan Devaiah and a more commercial film. “In the series space, there is a new show with Applause that I am very excited about because it’s a very different role for me, there is a sports drama series called Spike in which I play a volleyball coach and there is Shekhar Home with Kay Kay Menon and Ranvir Shorey. Also Delhi Crime season 3 is green lit and we are scheduled to shoot this year.”
