Chitrangada Singh interview: On Soorma, Smita Patil biopic, and more

A glamorous model, a talented actress and now a producer, Chitrangada Singh has donned many hats with considerable success. With Soorma becoming an instant hit at the box office, Chitrangada Singh has another challenge before her—to produce meaningful cinema in the commercial set up of Bollywood films. Biopics, married actresses in cinema and challenges as a producer—Chitrangada Singh discusses them all in her conversation with Bharti Dubey

Why did you choose to tell Sandeep Singh’s story to the world?

It is an amazing story and quite dramatic. I met him in 2014 when I was also writing two other scripts. I decided to make a film on his life and met him a couple of times, just to get a sense of the chain of events he has been through. By the end of it, I felt that what I heard was the most unbelievable, incredible real life story. I have been around sports people as I come from a sporting family. To be a part of competitive and physical sport like hockey and land in a wheel chair after surviving coma, make a return to the field as the Indian captain and become the fastest drag flicker in the world with maximum goals - the achievements are huge. I thought if there is a comeback story in Indian sporting history, this is it. Nothing like this has ever happened in the 60’s or the 70’s. This man is alive and playing for us. So I thought this will be such a huge connect with people and an important story to tell. We talk about cricketers if they hit a century or miss one, but here is a man, who is also playing for the flag and for much less money, yet there is no awareness. We had to tell the world what Sandeep Singh has been through and how big his achievements are.

Sandeep Singh was wary of the biopic as he didn’t want a masala film made on him. Right?

He was slightly reluctant. He asked if it will be made into a masala film. I told him “No – it will be close to reality.” The film is exactly the way it happened - the love story is as real as there is no such allowance. After that I started pitching it, and we were faced with questions like “Who is Sandeep Singh?” Or “So you want be to a producer”. I went to a lot of studios. I don’t want to name them but there were some who were already doing a biopic. Then we went to Sony. It was a quick process because Sneha Rajani had faced a similar situation like mine. I asked her to google Sandeep Singh and after that she said, “We are making this film.”

When did Shaad come on board?

I was discussing something else with Shaad and we already had two or three meetings. But when Sony came on board, I went and met him. I left the material I had written on Sandeep Singh with him and got a call from him the next morning,

Did you get credit for it?

No. After I gave him the stuff, he has done a lot of changes and done the screenplay; my name will be there just as “conceived by” me.

When you are not acting, we hear you write stories?

There was a phase and a creative person ends up doing something else. I love cinema. So, either I am watching movies or thinking of ideas. I started writing in 2013 in a rough book. After every three pages, there was a new story starting. Then I decided, let me stick with one and develop it. Then, someone came on board as a screenplay writer and then a director got interested and that is how it started to take form. So I have written two different stories.

After Soorma, what do you plan to work on next?

It’s up to destiny. This was to be made first but I think the next one will be a love story which I am going to make under my banner.

Have you cut down on acting or are you being selective about the roles you want to do?

I don’t know what came first—the egg or the chicken. Having said that, everybody wants to do good roles and that kind of work is not always coming to you. And it is not like I just want to work for the sake of working. I would rather sit and wait and do parts which I will be happy doing.

But the kind of roles the girls are getting are really very good and encouraging box office numbers.

Absolutely, but it is not coming my way. The kind of stuff that I was getting offered were these femme fatale ones which I wasn’t keen on doing because I don’t see myself doing such characters. I wanted meatier roles, so I chose to sit and wait and write stories.

There are debates on biopics nowadays, on whether it should be made on people who are living. What do you have to say about that?

People want to see a good story and if it is a real person, it is extremely important to say it as truthfully as possible. It doesn’t make a difference if the person is alive or dead. If it is a good story, one that is told truthfully, you want to go and see it. That is the only reason people go to a cinema hall for. Otherwise, there is no selling point as such.

It is said that married actresses are not welcome in the film industry. And some married actresses have commented on it.

It didn’t happen to me as I came into the industry after my marriage. I was already married and that didn’t make any difference as such. Or maybe, people didn’t come and tell me. The fact that I am married did not come between Tigmanshu (Dhulia) deciding my role. Nor did that happen with Gaurav or Nikhil. I don’t think it really makes a difference in today’s time.

My take on these actresses is that people have seen them from the time they came into the industry and have seen them when they were probably not married. So it takes them some discomfort to adjust to the new status of the actress.

Whose biopic will you want to make next?

It will be Smita Patil. She had an interesting life as an actor. What an amazing woman! A fire house, so ahead of her times and tragic at the same time. It will make quite a story. I was likened to Smita Patil when I joined the film industry. I am very fascinated by Smitaji. She led a dramatic and incredible life.