"I have no qualms in doing bold scenes " - Nandana Sen

Courtesy: Glamsham
Friday, November 16, 2007

An interview with Nandana Sen, playing one of the leads in Anand L Rai"s directorial debut Strangers. Talking about the film and others, she also admits that she has no qualms in doing bold scenes, read on...

Tell us something about Strangers
Strangers is a beautiful but strange movie. The story is about two Strangers who meet together, about two people falling in love in a strange land. It has lot of complexity, it has suspense, it's a thriller but not a complete thriller, and it's a combination of different genre above all it's a deeply emotional film.

What character you are playing in Strangers?
I am playing a character called Priety who is from London, she is looking for love. She is very successful, passionate and a royal girl, who falls deeply in love. There are certain ups and downs in her relationship. The character is very much real. Actually you can't categorize her; she has elements of different personality traits. She is consistent, somewhere she is really tough to handle sometimes she is beautiful. In short Priety is confident, carefree, successful and sarcastic character; she is not a typical doll like character. There is enough warmth in the character.

Heard that you have done a very bold scene in Strangers? Were you comfortable doing it?
I have no qualms in doing bold scenes, if it's a requirement and the character and script defines the relevance. At the end I am an actor.

How original this film is?
It's an extraordinary script. Whenever I choose a film I always look at how original the script is. Though everyone would feel it is Strangers ON A TRAIN, far from it, it is different in the real sense of the word. Though in a way, it"s a tribute to Strangers IN THE TRAIN, as the story takes off in the train, Strangers is different as chalk is to cheese in the overall concept.

How was it acting with Jimmy Shergil and Kay Kay for the first time?
It was a wonderful experience working with them. Jimmy is a great guy; sharing screen with him was great and was very easy to work with him. He has given a wonderful performance in the film. Kay Kay is a wonderful, disciplined actor and a very nice guy. Kay Kay is extremely talented. I adore Jimmy because he is really sweet; he is very friendly and generous. One thing I have noticed about Jimmy that is he is a great singer, he sings beautifully.

How was your experience working with a debutant director Anand L Rai?
Anand L Rai is a fantastic director and a great guy and has given me the chance to do improvisation in my character. He is very talented, sensitive, emotional and a nice man. He has a generous vision of world and human nature. On one hand he is a great director and the other hand he has a great vision of cinema. He has done many television serials so he is very comfortable with actors. Before the film Anand was a stranger to me now that I have done the film he has become a family to me.

What is the music of the film like?
Music of the film is melodious. Sometimes music can be obstacle if it is not used in the right manner but the music of our films play a critical part. Music of Strangers evokes emotions.

Have you planned a strategy for your career?
I don't have a specific strategy about my career that I have to do 'this' film or 'that' film. I just go by what seems interesting. I enjoy every bit of the film I do. My only strategy is not to get typecast. For me it is important to do a different type of a movie every time. This will help me to learn more things as an actor. I don't think about the film I always go by my gut feelings.

Besides Strangers what are the other projects you are working on?
Besides Strangers I have FOREST and right now I am doing COLOURS OF PASSION - it's a film based on the love story of painter Raja Ravi Varma. I am playing the character of Shantabai. It's a historical character where I may be looked upon as Shakuntala, Sita, Laxmi and Draupadi. I have done my research on the film, read books on his paintings. FOREST is an international film; it's a love triangle where I am playing a character called 'Radha" who is a very tough girl. It was great playing that character. It's a story of one night stand in the forest.

Favorite pass time.
I love to read and write poems. I write a lot. I also love to listen to Rabindra sangeet that is Tagore's songs. I also love listening to old Hindi film songs and jazz music. I love collecting old Hindi film CDs. I do yoga three times in a week. I love dancing so I have learnt Ballet, Manipuri dance and modern dancing.

Finally how would you define Strangers in one line?
If I would have to describe the film in one line, I would say Strangers beautifully walks in between the good and the bad lines.