| Interview with actor Rupali Ganguly |
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"The
casting couch does not exist in the TV industry"
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| Posted on 22 May 2003 |
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After
a eight month hiatus from television, Rupali Ganguly (daughter of
veteran filmmaker Anil Ganguly) stormed into our drawing-rooms by
replacing Shilpa Kadam in Star Plus' weekly hospital series turned
soap, Sanjivani.
Television is not the be-all and end-all for her. Films were
never a burning ambition in her. Yet, she is a gifted actress of
the new block. "I was getting straitjacketed into the goody-goody
girl types. My problem is that I don't want to the same kind of
roles. Like films, you do get typecast on television too. My role
in Sukanya (B4U) and even the double role in Dil Hai
Ki Manta Nahin (Sony) were too white. I could not identify much
with those.
Who has so much of white? My role as Simran in Sanjivani
has too much of grey, sorry, black. Who has so much of black?"
she begins.
In a heart-to-heart chat with Vickey Lalwani, she
traces her journey, defines her 'modus operandi' and also reveals
some dark secrets of Bollywood she stumbled upon along the way.
Excerpts -
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You came as a pleasant surprise in 'Sanjivani'...
(interrupts) Thanks for saying 'pleasant', but it's not 'surprising'.
Replacements in serials midway are a common feature (smiles).
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Being the daughter of a film-director, you must have been used to
the glamour of Bollywood. Why are you settling for TV serials?
Actually,
I tried my luck in movies. But I flopped, circumstantially. It took
me some time to accept, though. If I wanted to make it, I could
have.
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What
do you mean by 'circumstantially'?
I'll tell you later.
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Tell me about your first appearance in films.
I started
in movies in my dad's film (a Bengali venture). I was studying in
the ninth standard then. The film was a super-duper hit. But somehow
my dad never wanted me to join films. Anyway, he gave me a bait.
He said that if I could secure 90 per cent in the tenth standard,
I could go ahead in films. I secured 89 per cent. He did not relent.
Instead, he set a fresh target for my twelfth standard. No prizes
for guessing that he was indirectly pushing my film aspirations
under the carpet.
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But why?
Simple. Bollywood is a bad world.
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| "It
is difficult to register when you come in as a replacement.
But do you know that after I got in, the TRPs of 'Sanjivani'
have shot up?
" |
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Did
he tell you that, openly?
Never. My dad has been a parent and not a friend. There has always
been a slight distance between us. I have to be very careful in
front of him- no foul language, no non-vegetarian jokes.
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What
happened after you joined college?
Well, after the twelfth standard, my brother sent my pictures
for the Femina Miss India contest. My family has a very middle-class
mentality, yet I was selected for the preliminary rounds. In fact,
I went till the last 20! I talk very smartly. That impressed the
judges, I guess.
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What do you mean by hinting that the middle-class mentality could
have gone against you?
I mean- my make-up was very ordinary (my mom applied the lipstick
and my mausi did the 'kaajal') and my costumes were very much covered.
I come from a family where girls do not wear low-cut blouses or
tie sarees below the navel. Even today, my dad insists that I wear
only a saree, above the navel of course, on family functions.
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A little more about your dad... before we go further?
He
is really, really strict. Not so long ago, I would not be allowed
with friends beyond 8 p.m. So I never got addicted to the party
culture. Even nowadays, I party just once in a blue moon. The time-restriction
has been extended to midnight though. As for his film-making, he
does not intend making any more Hindi films at least. Gone are the
days when stars respected the film-makers.
Today, every film-maker has to literally run after the stars. And
before he catches up with the star/starlet, he has to break through
the cordon of the star/starlet's 'chamchas'. This haughty attitude
of today's artistes, which smacks of bad professionalism, is one
of the main reasons why the film industry is in the doldrums. Anyway,
why should my dad waste so much of time and energy? He has won enough
acclaim in life. He is a contented man.
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Then what happened? I mean, after the Femina Miss India contest?
I got a film called Do Aankhen Barah Haath. Govinda and Bappi
Lahiri were involved with that project. Both of them are close to
my dad. So he agreed. I also did Angara which was a home-production.
Madhoo had a problem adjusting to Mithun Chakraborty's dates, so I
stepped into her shoes. |
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"God
help me when I am doing a difficult scene with Vikram Gokhale.
A difficult scene becomes doubly difficult, then!" |
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And
then?
Then, I received several offers-- but things didn't work out. I was
told that... (shrugs her shoulders and laughs). |
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Told
what?
I was made to realise that the casting couch exists. I had an option
to take it and become a star, or go into obscurity. |
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What
did you do?
I cried. I dared not tell my dad, but yes, I did tell my mom. She
told me 'it depends on how ambitious you are, but considering the
way we brought you up, you shouldn't be doing it.' I backed out and
threw the acting bug out of my system. For your information, that
film had a big filmmaker and two new heroines. I was supposed to do
one of those roles. The film flopped but both those girls got lots
of mileage. That was what I meant when I said that I flopped 'circumstantially'.
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And
then?
I started pursuing my studies. I joined Hotel Management. I completed
the three-year course. All of a sudden, I was offered TV serials.
I guess that was the result of my theatre work, which I used to
do alongside my studies. My initial reaction was that TV serials
are a down-market kind of thing, but I took it up. I realised that
television was actually getting bigger than films. I started enjoying
all my work- Yehi To Pyar Hai, Sukanya and Dil Hai Ki
Manta Nahin. My dad was okay to serials for two reasons, I guess.
One, I had grown up and was able to look after myself. Two, the
casting couch does not exist in the TV industry.
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Are
you sure that casting couch does not exist in the TV industry?
I am not signing on this. At least, I have not been a party to any.
In the TV industry, it counts that you are the daughter of somebody
who is known, but when it comes to the film industry, nobody gives
it a damn.
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Anyway, how did 'Sanjivani' happen?
I got many offers on TV, but most of them were very similar roles
which required me to use buckets of glycerine only. My adrenalin had
stopped flowing. Come to think of it, I was never doing it for money.
My father's financial support has been there all along. The Sanjivani
offer started the adrenalin to flow again. I loved the negative aspect
in Dr. Simran's portrayal. |
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Weren't you sceptical that the audience might not accept you in
Shilpa Kadam's place?
I was very sceptical, underline the word 'very'. It is difficult to
register when you come in as a replacement. But do you know that after
I got in, the TRPs of Sanjivani have shot up? |
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"I
am a 'ghatan' at heart. Thank God that the negative character
of Simran is not supposed to anything blasphemous!"
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Do you get into the skin of the character?
Yes. I am a combo of spontaneity and method. When the scenes are light
and fun-loving, I just am myself. I don't have to exert at all. I
am a happy-go-lucky and friendly type in real life. I easily identify
with the goody-goody stuff. When it comes to scenes, which demand
that I vent anger or start crying, I adopt the method route. I retire
with the lines into one corner of a room and start putting myself
in the character's place. That takes some time, but I get it. |
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How do you do the difficult scenes?
Some scenes are 'really' difficult. Those who say that acting is an
easy job are liars. I always do a rehearsal before the difficult scenes.
What may be difficult for me, may not be difficult for my co-star.
So he/she may not require a rehearsal, but then, most senior artistes
do help their juniors. Things are relatively easy if I am doing a
difficult scene with Gurdeep Kohli because she is a close friend of
my age. I can easily ask her for a rehearsal before we actually enact
it out. And even if we goof up the rehearsal, we smile and do it again.
But God help me when I am doing a difficult scene with Vikram Gokhale.
A difficult scene becomes doubly difficult, then! He has such a towering
and domineering personality. Still I don't compromise on going into
a difficult scene without a rehearsal. I have to literally request
Vikram Gokhale for a rehearsal but I do it. |
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You said that acting is not an easy job. Then why are so many people
jumping into it?
It's just 15 seconds of fame for them! Do you think that they all
last? Leave aside a growth in your career, even if you want to maintain
your present status, you need to be focussed. We have so many guys
and girls getting into television who are not bothered about the low
output they deliver; the moment their shot is over, they are glued
to their mobile. |
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Would you like to do the saas-bahu type serials?
Am I not doing a saas-bahu serial already in Sanjivani? Of
late, my 'saas' is against me since I am expressing my disapproval
of my husband's love for the other woman in no uncertain terms (smiles).
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Would
you like to do something sensational, say, a negative role that goes
against our Indian culture?
I can't do it. I am a 'ghatan' at heart (laughs). Thank God that the
negative character of Simran is not supposed to anything blasphemous! |
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You
told me that you love'd' the character of Dr.Simran when you signed?
Does that mean that you don't like it anymore?
(laughs). You caught me on the wrong foot, man! Well, of late, it's
getting to me. That mad, jealous behaviour! I have become a hysterical
vamp (laughs). Especially after the Holi scene where she says that
her husband Rahul should spray colour only on her but Rahul gets intoxicated
with 'bhaang' and sprays it all on the other woman, Juhi. I couldn't
digest the fact that Simran does not say anything to Rahul but goes
and spits fire on Juhi. |
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Do
you think women get a fair deal on television?
Fair deal? Women are getting a far bigger chunk than men. In films,
the hero is the be-all and end-all of a film. Except Aishwarya Rai,
no Bollywood heroine is as popular as Tulsi/Parvati/Ramola/Pallavi.
I know of many people who say 'Goodnight' to Tulsi before retiring
for the four nights of the week when Kyunki... is telecast.
How many Bollywood girls can boast of that? There is nothing left
for a heroine in Bollywood. All that she has to is don under-sized
outfits, smooch the hero and perform pelvic-n-pectoral gyrations.
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Role
models on television?
Only Shekhar Suman. After his debacle in films and the death of his
son, he rose like a Phoenix from the Ashes. How many people can do
that? |
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Does the fact that serials are shot at a hectic pace leave you
with minimum scope for creative satisfaction?
Yes, serials offer little to no chance for retakes. There are tough
deadlines too be met. The production house is answerable to the channels.
But I guess, creative satisfaction is minimal in films too. You cool
your heels for hours before your shot is called, and by then, you
are completed disconnected! |
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Are
you drained at the end of the day?
Not always. That's simply because I haven't taken up any other serial.
I have been offered many negative roles like Simran of Sanjivani,
but I refuse to be typecast. But please don't mistake me for being
one of those who prefers creative satisfaction at the cost of commercial
prospects. |
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That
means you are doing something else too?
(smiles) I am also making commercials for New York Life. Actually,
Ashwin Varma (Corporate Vice President of New York Life), my dad and
I are partners in this venture. Every year, Varma comes down to India
to make the commercials. I have also acted in one of those. I am mainly
involved with the concept, dress-designing and production part. New
York Life is a foreign based company which has various markets. Our
company caters to the Indian market. These commercials promote Indian
culture. |
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