Amrita Rao has been missing from the silver screen for a while now, but is back with the new release Thackeray and plays Balasaheb Thackeray’s wife Meena Tai in the film. We caught up with her as she spoke about her hiatus from the movies, working in television and why Bollywood tends to stereotype actors.
When asked if she was ever worried about the fact that people would forget her, she said, “It’s not like I have not had the choice, if I had the choice. I had every reason to be in the news and the paps, as they call it, follow me for no reason. But I have always chosen to have this private side to me”.
She added, “So I think I have refrained from popping into everyone’s face for no reason and hence it’s nice when people tell me that, ‘Oh we have still not had enough of you’”.
During her hiatus from the movies, Amrita had a brief stint on television with a non-fiction show and the finite series Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai. Speaking of the same she said, “I remember in 2016 when we were filming Mere Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai. The conversation on the set used to be, “When Netflix comes…” and sooner it has just come and has taken everybody by storm and new avenues have opened up.”
She also said that the web space had led actors now to not getting stereotyped. “The thing is I started with Ishq Vishk where I was playing this girl next door. Then I was Sanju of Main Hoon Na with the nose ring and the cut gloves and then I did ‘Masti’ and then I did Vivah where I was playing Poonam from Madhupur. Now after seeing Poonam from Vivah, if you forget that I was Sanjana that’s not my problem; that is your problem. Directors are supposed to see you in different roles.”
But she does hope to do more work now, albeit of consequence.
Thackeray starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Amrita Rao will release on 25 January
Camera: Sanjoy Deb
Assistant Camera: Gautam Sharma
Video Editor: Ashish MacCune
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)