Straight from the heart

Chitrangda Singh,who plays a struggling musician in Yeh Saali Zindagi,says that she is here to stay.

Years ago,when the credits of Chitrangda Singhs debut film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi rolled out the audiences were curious to know who the young dusky actress in the film was. They loved her for her looks she reminded them of the yesteryear favourite Smita Patil and they loved the ease with which she performed. But,the adulation was too unsettling for the actress,who did very few films. The actress is now ready with her next release Yeh Saali Zindagi. My character in the film is a complex one. She is selfish yet she’s willing to go to any extent to save the man she loves, says Chitrangda,who plays Preeti,a young,ambitious,struggling musician in the film. Portions of the film were shot in Delhi. As a Delhi-ite,the actress had a great time shooting there during the peak of winter. Delhi has so much character to it. That lent a lot of background to the script, she says. The actress is paired opposite Irrfan. Speaking of her great camarederie with the actor,she says,Irrfan is a very talented actor and a fantastic co-star. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. Chitrangda has a long association with mentor Sudhir Mishra. I think he is one of our best directors and of course I feel fortunate to have worked with him. She says. What I like about him is that he doesn’t write straightforward scripts and doesn’t construct one-dimensional characters. Even the negative characters do not have just one shade. I also love his layered scripts. As she shuttles between Delhi,where her family is and Mumbai,her modus operandi is simple. She is here to do good work. Chitrangda has a couple of projects in her kitty. There is Dhruv,in which she plays a power-broker and co-stars with Kareena Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. There is Rohit Dhawan’s Desi Boyz which also stars Akshay Kumar,John Abraham and Deepika Padukone. I will be seen doing something completely different from what I have never done in the past. The film is light-hearted and emotional, she says. But,post her sabbatical will her fans accept her? I think society has evolved. People can easily differentiate between the actor whos playing a role and my real-life persona as a mother, she explains.Vishal Bhardwaj and Ashutosh Gowariker had offered her scripts when she away. Today the actress sounds off her desire to work with these directors,and says,I will keep my fingers crossed.