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‘Regrets are utterly senseless’
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Nandana Sen reflects on her choice of films and her role as Sugandha, Raja Ravi Verma’s muse
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Tough talk Nandana Sen dons the role of Sugandha
Nandana Sen has her way with words. The way she narrates her character reflects her understanding of her role. You won’t get clichéd ‘It’s a different role’ statements from her. Instead, she’ll tell you that her cha
racter, Preity, in “Strangers”, is “a girl from London who’s used to constant attention from men, but is swept off her feet by the unconventional advances of a cynical writer (Jimmy). Preity’s a romantic at heart, extremely warm – but when she’s hurt she can turn momentarily cold, even cruel. There’s nothing airbrushed about Preity.”
The actress who was earlier seen in films like “My Wife’s Murder”, “Tango Charlie” and “Black” is back with “Strangers” that also stars Jimmy Shergill, Kay Kay Menon and Sonali Kulkarni. Nandana divides her times between Indian and international films and admits choosing films are an emotional decision for her. She says, “I was impressed by how complex and real the characters are – the fact that the heroes in Strangers are also its villains. I need to fall in love with a story immediately to say yes. I’m allergic to imitations; I’m not drawn to films, characters, or performances that are copies of others, including my own.” Nandana is also on board for “Forest”. This is Ashvin Kumar’s first feature film after his short film “Little Terrorist” was nominated in the Live Action Short Film category for the Oscars. On “Forest”, Nandana says, “Here, my character Radha is an uncompromisingly ‘real’ heroine. She is a cerebral, tough-talking girl who hides a tender heart.”
The plum offer on her hand is the role of Sugandha, Raja Ravi Verma’s muse in Shaji Karun’s film “Rang Rasiya”. “It’s the love-story of Raja Ravi Varma and his muse, Sugandha. I loved every aspect of preparing for this role – from wearing navwari saris to rediscovering our classical heroines like Shakuntala, Damayanti, Urvashi, Sita and Draupadi that Sugandha posed as. Sugandha’s life mirrors the ordeals faced by our classical heroines,” she says. On the relationship between the painter and his muse, Nandana says, “Ravi Varma sees in her the face and soul of a goddess. Sugandha is the eternal child-woman.”
Ask her if she regrets films like “Marigold” or the miniscule role in “Black” and she retorts, “What for? ‘Black’ was the only film in which I played a non-lead role since I was keen to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I’ve got a lot of work because of ‘Black’. Regrets are utterly senseless.”
So far, films haven’t been a cakewalk. Having studied and worked in theatre in US and UK and dealing with expectations that rise from being the daughter of Amartya Sen and writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen, she admits, “My goal is not to be the number one and I’ve never played it safe. Since my first release here in 2005, I’ve played lead roles in eight films in India and abroad. But don’t get me wrong. Am I praying that Mani Ratnam will cast me? Every day!”
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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