‘Sacred Games’ actress Rajshri Deshpande, has shared that her film ‘Hema’ is a story of vulnerability, loneliness and exploration. The actress also said that the film portrays the story of every woman and how they battle different situations.
The film captures the journey of cultural assimilation faced by many women who relocate to the United States. The film bagged the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film at the recently concluded Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Rajshri told Media: “I know it’s partly based on the director’s mother’s life but I feel it’s a story of every other woman. It’s a story of vulnerability, belonging, loneliness and exploration. It’s a story of life, love and refinding yourself in the wide world. It’s a story about me somewhere.”
The actress lauded the film’s director Ritvik Dhavale, as she called him “an interesting filmmaker.”
She said: “His approach towards his stories is empathetic. ‘Hema’ is special to him because it’s somewhat a homage to his mother but he brought emotional depth to many women’s lives in this story.”
Sharing her experience of working with the film’s team, she said: “The amazingly talented team of ‘Hema’, the producer Aishwarya sonar, Shaurya Nanavati and the writer-director Ritvik is extremely curious to learn about complexities of life. They are passionate and I definitely feel they all will create magic together.”
The actress contrasts the glamour of the film industry with her social work. She has been working with 30-odd drought-prone villages in the Marathwada district in Maharashtra. Rajshri addresses issues like rejuvenating groundwater, building schools and toilets, and conducting gender sensitisation through her non-profit, Nabhangan Foundation in these villages.
Rajshri, whose credits also include titles like ‘Trial By Fire’ and ‘Manto’, has said that social work enriches her soul which subconsciously helps her approach each role with empathy.
She told Media, “If acting is my love and passion then social work is my skin and my heart.”
She said that her on-ground work with the villages and communities evolves her into a better human being.
She shared: “Empathy is the most valuable thing I have learned in my life and I am thankful to the communities I work with that constantly push me to be a better person. As an actor, I have always gravitated and portrayed realistic and raw characters. So my humanitarian work constantly teaches me to value that.”
The actress feels that the more complex characters come with a lot of baggage that an actor can’t carry back into their personal life but must deal with them with a lot of empathy, and these are the characters she has to compartmentalise.
Indian content has been making waves in the international market be it ‘RRR’ or the recent big wins of Indian films at the Cannes Film Festival. While Payal Kapadia’s film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ was feted with the ‘Le Grand Prix’ award, Chidananda S Naik’s film ‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know’ was honoured with the La Cinef Award for Best Short Film, and Un Certain Regard Best Actress honour for Anasuya Sengupta.
Talking about the international acclaim of Indian films, Rajshri said: “We have diverse, important and colourful communities around the country and I am glad we have the best of the filmmakers who bring their authenticity and uniqueness into their work. Unfortunately, the gatekeepers need to be more open with their choices. The formulaic films and the star-driven system need to go through re-evaluation.”
She continued: “Fortunately festival films around the world provide a platform to more creative and diverse films that give new filmmakers a chance to showcase their work and get a deserved recognition.”
“The moment we look at the creative field as an industry then we should learn to know how to handle the industry term too. The word ‘Industry’ brings a lot of baggage because it involves mathematics. So ‘Creative’ and ‘Industry’ both are important but need to be treated with a lot of empathy. We need producers who understand and work towards more empathetic sets,” she added.
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