For almost a month G5A Film Society has been hosting the New York Film Festival 2016 India Chapter at their extraordinary venue in Mumbai, the auditorium interestingly called Black Box. Yesterday was a screening of Pushan Kirpalani’s The Threshold featuring Neena Gupta and Rajit Kapur. Post screening, I chatted with Neena on being an actor, a woman and also a married woman.
Excerpts from the conversation.
It is nice to watch you on the big screen after a long break.
Neena Gupta: Yes, an actor is never out of work if he/she is active in all the mediums. I have relished television, theatre and cinema, but over the decades, roles on celluloid have become very few for actors of my generation and once in a while if a powerful role comes in mainstream cinema, the role invariably goes to either Shabana Azmi or Dimple Kapadia.
You have not been visible on the small screen for a long time too!
Neena: I started on TV as a vamp in Khandaan and did varied roles - I played mother to adolescent kids in the popular serial Saans. Then came a phase I was offered only grandmother roles which I promptly refused. These days, for some mysterious reason, the channels are offering me scripts to play ‘Rajmata’ roles, dressed in flowing whites, which I have turned down.
What made you say yes to The Threshold - the story of an ageing couple?
Neena: The plot, and that there are just two characters, was challenging for me as an actor; that my director Pushan Kirpalani thought of casting me over other actors and that he promised to give us a bound script before we began rolling. This is unusual because most of the time, small budget films write and improvise scenes while shooting on location which can be nerve-wracking for an actor.
I thought improvisations add to creativity?
Neena: They most certainly do. We improvise in theatre all the time, but we do it during rehearsals till we have mastered the nuances. Pushan engaged Rajit and me in multiple workshops that involved us to share our experiences of marriage and life. He wanted funny, intimate moments that would make the characters believable, so I told him of a time I visited the bathroom, but could not relieve myself because the salwar knot was entangled and he has retained this in the film. Pushan has acknowledged our contribution by including Rajit and me in the writing credits along with our dialogue writer, Nihaarika.
How similar or different is the marriage story to your own life?
Neena: All marriages have many things in common and yet all marriages are different. The Threshold is not about borrowing from my or Rajit’s marriage - it is a culmination of what happens in a relationship over the years. It is about perspectives, about how women feel and men think; it is about a journey together and quest for personal space.
Was it easy to inhabit a character like Rinku?
Neena: I have known many Rinkus and they exist in our wide circle of distant relatives. When I was growing up, I have heard my mother, maasis and chachis discuss domestic issues in hushed whispers. Maybe they are all Rinkus in different degrees in different states and homes. I was familiar with her emotional fabric, her dressing and speech – we discussed that she will speak in part Punjabi, part Hindi and part English with a distinct Punjabi accent.
The difficult part was to shed vanity both in posture and expression. I’ve worn extra sweaters to look plump and walk with a limp. There were times I pleaded with the director to let me wear some lipstick, but Pushan did not permit even a fraction of false chord in my characterization.
Has your husband seen the film? What was his reaction?
Neena: Yes, I had prepared him for the character, but I think he was jolted to see his beautiful wife transform into a haggard Rinku! Later he was able to appreciate my performance but the disappointment lingered. I understand that. It’s very difficult for those who love you to accept change – even if it is for a role in a film. This is the second time I watched the film and as much as I love the film, how I wish I could have looked more attractive!
Is that because you are a woman?
Neena: Yes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
(Bhawana Somaaya has been writing on cinema for 30 years and is the author of 12 books. Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)