I am not comfortable with lip-locks and sleazy scenes and if that makes me less of an actor then that's okay by me

DIPANNITA SHARMA

In this exclusive telephonic interview for bollyy.com actress producer DIPANNITA SHARMA tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that it was quite challenging for her as an actor to shoot in the jungle in the midst of snakes and wild animals

As Pepper Chicken is a risky subject as a producer, what made you go in for a subject like this?

I am a thriller fan, and I feel that we have not explored subjects enough. We have a lot of thriller content but we don't really go into the depth of psychological thrillers. That is one part that's always intrigued me.

When Ratan, the director, sent me the script I felt we can make something unique out of this as it was very interesting especially with the whole set up, where we were going to shoot in the jungles of Assam, creating employment for people in Assam, by making a mainstream Hindi film in Assam. All these things together peaked my interest and that's what made me act in it as well.

Why didn't you think of making the film as bilingual in Assamese and Hindi?

A bilingual in Assamese and Hindi has a different connotation, as Ratan’s idea was to make a Hindi film. It was the director's vision and I didn’t want to mess with it, so for me that was foremost. Once he told me he wanted to make it in Hindi I said okay, also because if we shot a film in Assam everyone expects it to be in Assamese and no one expects it to be in Hindi and that was its USP.

Long time I have not seen you in films made in Bollywood films. Why?

I have been doing a lot of digital content; I have really been enjoying that space. I made a special appearance in YRF’s War last year in 2019. The digital space has been great. I did an Assamese film called Rainbow Field. I won the Best Actress award for that film in LA.

Is that film being shown on any OTT platform?

It’s available on Amazon but only in the UK and USA.

Tell me why is the title of the film Pepper Chicken?

That was also Ratan’s idea. In the film, the cab driver cooks pepper chicken for me. It's his favorite dish and in the larger scheme of things the film is sort of like a dish that you relish, that is how I think of it.

Do you think the Assamese have a fetish for food?

I think they have a huge fetish for food.

I recently saw a film where the hero cuts a human being into various pieces for his girlfriend and makes a dish Yes. You are talking of Aamis, it was such an amazing thriller .Also as a producer, I find that there is no other girl in the film apart from you!

I am a co-producer, but Ratan came to me with the script and said you are the only female character in the film and that's how he had written the film so I said okay great for me, but there are some very interesting other male characters in the film like the character of the cop and others so when it comes to the story I don't interfere at all actually, even though I am the co producer it’s not my department to interfere in the creative process. I as an actor listen to the director and implicitly follow his instructions.

How did you approach your character when you were narrated the subject: What was your thought process as an actress?

I love this genre a lot and I think in general when I watch a lot of content or I analyze how a woman or a man who is going through a particular journey must be going through at that time or whether they are telling the truth or not and how will you know that the person is telling the truth or not. Many times as a person when you are talking to someone your aim is to be believable so as a person I think all of us are like that. Our aim is to be believable for other persons so as an actor for me all I concentrate on is when I m doing that scene is to go through that journey with utmost honesty and make the other person believe in me.

I think there were some scenes where you literally did a lot of improvisations!

I did a lot of improvisations. There were a lot of things that proactively happened also we were in the middle of the jungle and there was a lot of scope for improvisation as not everything was on a set and was perfectly set out for you like literally there were snakes and stuff around. But the thrill of the thriller is that you get to do things that you have never done before.

In how many days did you shoot the film?

We shot in about 20 days. It's an independent film; it's not a low budget film but also not a very high budget film.

Have you planned to release your film theatrically?

A theatrical release is something we didn't even think of when we were making the film for us. It was always going to be a digital release as it was always important that it reaches the audience. We’d rather have a better bigger digital release then a small theatrical release.

This is pay per view digital release. Did you not think of other platforms where it’s directly streamed like Amazon or Netflix?

Right now for us it worked best with Shemaroo because the viewership of a certain kind. I think we wanted to use that kind of an audience and the deal worked out best for us also. Shemaroo in terms of network they are very wide so I think that really worked for us as an independent film that we have made under certain constraints and we are glad we are lucky to get a big platform through ShemarooMe Box Office.

In how many films have you acted till date?

Overall I have done around 27 films including and digital. I started in 1998, but my first film was released in 2003. It was an action thriller called 16th December.

Which are your 5 best films till date?

16th December, Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl, Rainbow Field, My Brother Nikhil, and last but not the least Pepper Chicken.

You have started working in web series?

Earlier also I had done a web series called Bewafa Sii Wafa for ALT Balaji for which I had won the best supporting actress award. Bewafa Sii Wafa was actually one of the first shows when OTT had just started; it was a suspense thriller, a pure murder mystery.

Do you feel that you have not been given the right projects or your potential has not been utilized properly?

That one thing is always there. I don't think potential utilization has happened but I think it's slowly and steadily happening. Sometimes what happens is that you are very comfortable putting a person in a box. We do this in general.

Also so many people look at me and feel like she must be modeling, this girl looks simple and wears a salwar kameez so let's put her in the bracket of a housewife and when you try to break out of that box most people are not accepting of that, they don't like it because that's out of their comfort zone. But I will always keep breaking out of those boxes. That's my aim in life and I will continue doing so and I think it is happening. If you see my Assamese film you will realize how i have come out of that box. If you see Pepper Chicken you will realize how I have broken another box.

How open are you to exposing yourself or indulging in lip-locks in any film?

Yeah no lip locks for me. I have not done any till date and I think the closest was in My Brother Nikhil and that was a very sweet moment. Like in My Brother Nikhil it makes sense, so when it makes sense to me as an actor I will think about it. Even today I am not comfortable and if that makes me less of an actor then that's okay by me. Also, so far no script has made sense to me where I feel you can not completely not do without, if I get a script like that I’ll definitely think about it.

Till today I have never got a script where I feel it’s unavoidable. Now if you look at Hollywood they are doing away with such scenes I don't know why we need it. You understand that we are human beings, we don't have to spoon feed everything. I feel we have not reached that stage where we can objectively watch these things.

Who are the directors who are in your wish list?

I have everyone from Steven Spielberg to Imtiaz Ali. I was going to work in Imtiaz Ali’s Socha Na Tha but it didn’t work out. There is so much amazing new talent. I am amazed when I walk into a set of a digital show even if it’s a complete newcomer. Recently I was directed by someone who has written a really big digital show and has just turned director.

There is a fresh approach from where they come from and they give you so much freedom and I have a lot of respect for that. The complete list is difficult because I want to work with a variety of people. Vishal Bharadwaj is also another name.

What next?

There is a thriller called Raat Baaki Hai. It is a film in HIndi, which we just shot after lockdown. I also did another interesting show, Untag, which was about accepting yourself. It was a proper corporate set up. There are also a couple of digital films that I am shooting for right now.