‘I feel sad for the new Draupadi’

[suchandra]

Well yes, when the acaryas say that vedic knowledge has to be passed down without changing it, there is surely truth to this.

 

‘I feel sad for the new Draupadi’

 

ALChougule

 

Rupa Ganguly who became a household name as Draupadi with B R Chopra’s Mahabharat pans Ekta’s version of the epic drama

 

Have you seen Ekta Kapoor’s Kahani Hamaaray Mahabharat Ki? What do you feel about the show?

Yes, I have seen it. She has interpreted the mythological epic differently from what we have seen, heard or learnt about Mahabharat. But the major problem with the show and which can be seen quite easily is that the show has been made in a hurry. They look unprepared. Ekta took a big step by making it in a daily format. It’s a difficult proposition for which her team seems unprepared. I think it’s a case of overconfidence. Do you see any other shortcoming in the show?

Oh yes. Mahabharat has in-built drama which comes out naturally as you start narrating it through the characters. But this is not the case with Ekta’s show. She is dramatising the epic instead of going with the flow of its drama. Also, the Greek touch takes away from its authentic look. Casting and performances are the show’s other shortcomings. The plus points of Choprasaab’s Mahabharat were the script, dialogues and performances. The only negative point was lack of good graphics and special effects because modern technology was not available then. Ekta’s Mahabharat has technological effects but weak content and performances.

Did Ekta offer you a role in her Mahabharat?

She did. I was approached to play Kunti. But after playing Draupadi in the earlier Mahabharat I didn’t see any point in playing Kunti which was played by Nazneen in the old version. I think she had done a good job.

What do you feel about the new Draupadi?

I feel sad for her. What has she done before? Her saas-bahu soaps? The serial opened with her vastraharan and she looked quite unprepared. She wasn’t into the character. I don’t blame her because it’s not her fault. She should have been given enough time to understand and prepare for the role.

You started your career on television with Ganadevta way back in 1988 followed by Mahabharat. And then you had taken a break for a long time.

Ganadevta helped me get the Draupadi role in Mahabarat, which gave me name, fame and critical acclaim. After doing the mythological serial, I did a couple of Hindi films and went back to Kolkata because I got married in 1992. At that point of time, marriage was very important to me and hence I took a break from acting.

What brought you back to serials again in 1995 then?

Ravi Chopra. He was making Kanoon for DD and asked me to come to Mumbai for the show. But I couldn’t stay here for long. I used to come for about 10 days in a month and go back. There was lot of work around and though I came to do only Kanoon I ended up doing Parampara and Viraasat. I felt suffocated and didn’t want to continue because at that time, my priorities were quite different. I wanted to have a baby and two years later I delivered my son.

But you continued doing Bengali films.

I was quite happy doing Bengali films. I did 15 films, most of which have won National awards. I worked with most of the well-known Bengali film directors, be it Aparna Sen, Gautam Ghose, Anjan Dutta and others. I travelled all over the world and attended major film festivals for my films. I also did quite a few tele-films with varied roles which also gave me critical acclaim.

So, what made you come back to Hindi serials?

Balaji approached me for a role in Karam Apna Apna, which was set in a Bengali backdrop. I accepted the show because it was being shot in Kolkata and the role was not very big. But later the story moved to Mumbai and I used to come here for four to five days for shooting and go back. It was fine with me because I got to be with my family and son for almost 25 days in a month. Then Anurag (Basu) offered me a role in Love Story and another role came from Balaji for Kasturi, which required me to stay away from my family and son for almost 20 days in a month. I spoke to my son and he was fine with my working in Mumbai. He is 12 years old and can do without me. So I took a call on both the shows and really enjoyed doing them.

Your role in Kasturi had not ended. Why did you quit the show a week ago?

(Pauses) Everything was fine. I don’t mind if my role is not getting enough prominence as long as the character is meaty enough because that’s how soaps are made today. I also don’t mind if I am given less work. But I am a very sensitive and creative person. I felt that there was no respect for a senior actor like me. Money is everywhere but one doesn’t work only for money. If there is no respect for the work one does then money is not worth the effort.

On the last day of my shoot for Kasturi, I signed the register but didn’t accept my pay-packet because I shot only for a few close-up shots. I didn’t see any point in taking payment for only five minutes of work.

Is the role you are playing in Waqt Batayega significant?

I wouldn’t have accepted it if the character was not significant. I am playing a mother who comes from London with her family to see the girl my son has fallen in love with. The only problem with the girl is that she has a burn scar on her face which rattles me initially. But since the girl is nice and my son loves her, we agree to their marriage. But somewhere things start going awry and my doubts start coming true. My character is that of a woman-next-door.

After doing the best of films, what makes you work for television?

Well, I am more inclined towards production and direction. I have stories in my mind and am more of a technical person. I have learnt the techniques by observing several directors. If I keep on acting I might get bored. But before I get bored of acting, I want to get into direction. I would like to produce and direct a serial first and then a film.