Deepti Naval doesn’t want to be remembered for her ‘lighthearted’ films; calls working on Goldfish ‘a cathartic experience’

Excerpts:

The trailer of Goldfish is quite impactful. How was your experience working on the film?

It was cathartic because I saw my mother go through dementia, and I was with her many times when she was trying to deal with memory loss and repeating things, not knowing whether she already shared something or not. Eventually, she was also becoming aware that things were becoming difficult in her head. My reference for this role, in a way, did come from mamma. But the way this role was written by Pushan (Kripalani) and Arghya (Lahiri), it also gave me something new to kind of dive into. And then to have an actor like Kalki was one of the reasons I said yes to the role even without reading the script because I was told that Kalki is there to play the daughter, and I said, ‘I am doing it.’ Because I thought if Kalki has said yes to this script, it is bound to be a decent and meaningful film. Then the script came, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

You have been a part of meaningful cinema since the ’80s. Is that something you still look out for when you sign a film?

Yes, I keep looking. I don’t want to play any typical roles. I keep looking for my age group characters that are well-defined, not the stereotypical, run-of-the-mill roles. In today’s time a lot of interesting roles are being written for older women, and it is a very exciting time. I have been holding back because I was looking for something that I have not done before. I had to refrain from signing many roles, which seemed familiar and done to death.

You do very few films compared to your contemporaries like Shabana Azmi. Both of you come from the parallel cinema background. What is holding you back? Did you watch Shabana’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani?

I am not keeping myself away from commercial cinema because the distinction between commercial and other cinema hardly exists anymore. So any good, well-defined role, and I am all in for it. It should be a strong, layered and complex role. I would say yes to a small or big film. I am completely open. I’d do whatever excites me.

Rocky Aur Rani… Yes! I saw it in the theatre, and I so enjoyed it. It gave me such a high when, in the end, Ranveer (Singh) just sort of emerges from the back, dancing in that red outfit. I was almost like hooting for him. I was so excited in the theatre, sitting there, wanting to whistle and scream. It is a film that makes many little points which are very relevant in today’s time. It is a well-thought-out film.

Deepti Naval with Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. (Express Archive)

How has Bollywood changed over the years, since the ’80s when you were actively leading films?

See, in between, there was a time when it had gone completely glamorous with little content. But now it is coming back…Women’s roles are far more significant. Women are given much more challenging roles, they are being redefined now. There is a lot more happening in terms of female roles. Cinema is also talking about content again which is very exciting. This is the time for all actors — males or females. Females don’t have to take a backseat anymore and play a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They are playing pivotal parts. That’s the way it should have been a long time back.

You’ve been a part of some films that have become cult classics—especially movies like Chashme Buddoor, Saath Saath and Angoor. Your song “Tum Ko Dekha To” is so alive even today. How do you feel looking back at your work now?

Yes, it is because it is timeless. That song is timeless. It has become a classic, and one of the things I can be grateful for is that I got a song like this in my career. A song that will always be remembered. Those times were very different. We didn’t take ourselves that seriously that time. We were just having a lot of fun working on these movies. We didn’t think we were making classics because we just used to go on shoots, enjoy and come back. We didn’t know that these will become cult films.

For some reason, I wanted to do more intense roles even then. I didn’t want to be remembered for my lighthearted films only. I wanted to be remembered for my more intense roles like Kamla, Ankahee, Andhi Gali, Main Zinda Hoon, Mirch Masala. I wanted to be remembered for those roles, so I kept doing those films much more. But I think actors should do all kinds of roles. Then you can show your range, show diversity as a performer. That’s the beauty and joy of being an actor.

That’s why I did NH10. I never thought I would be offered an NH10, but when I did it, people loved it. I got my first screen award for that film. It’s the same reason I also tried the OTT platform and did shows like Made In Heaven, Pawan & Pooja and Criminal Justice.

Deepti Naval in a still from NH10.

Has your motivation to do films changed now?

No, my motivation remains the same. I wait for a good, well-defined role. I wait for a layered, complex, strong but sensitive, dynamic character. I have always played internally strong women, but now it is time to have some more fun. Of course, I want to play strong characters; there’s no two ways about that.

How do you approach work today? What is your process of finding good roles?

I was always shy of approaching people. I always somehow believed that my work would bring in work. In the last five years, I have totally concentrated on my memoir. I was writing a book that’s called A Country Called Childhood. I gave my five years to that. But in those five years, I did three very interesting films, all in English. One was The Boy With The Top Knot (2017). We shot it in London, now the recent one is Goldfish and another film I made is Memories in March. But I didn’t stop acting just because I was writing. My focus was so much on the book that it may have appeared that where have I gone. But no, I have waited for the right roles to come.