Spoilt for choice

JITESH PILLAAI HAS A CONVERSATION WITH THE EVER DEPENDABLE RASIKA DUGAL

 

There are actors who liven up a scene with their mere presence. They offer a lot of gravitas, even when they’re just standing there in the frame. You want to find out more about them and start rooting for their character. One such actor is Rasika Dugal. She had supporting roles in Anwar (2007), No Smoking (2007), and Aurangzeb (2013) before landing her breakthrough role in Qissa (2015), in which she played a girl raised as a boy by her strict father (Irrfan Khan). Her portrayal caught the attention of the critics, who praised her highly for it. She was also praised for her role as Safia, Manto’s wife, in the critically-acclaimed film Manto (2018), based on the maverick writer’s life. The same year, Rasika gained mass acceptance with her bold role in the hit OTT series Mirzapur, and there has been no holding back ever since. Excerpts from a candid interview with the talented Ms. Dugal.

Take Mirzapur or Made In Heaven, your characters are so diametrically opposite to who you are as a person. How do you play parts which are not you?