Even as she admits that roles are scarce for 40-plus women, Bob Biswas actor Chitrangda says better stories and brave leading ladies are rewriting the rules
Chitrangda Singh
She remembers watching the spine-chilling contract killer in Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani (2012). Nine years later, Chitrangda Singh finds herself immersed in the world of Bob Biswas, a spinoff film based on the 2012 film character. She has no qualms admitting that the ZEE5 film is centred on Abhishek Bachchan who plays the cold-blooded killer. “It is totally Bob’s film. But I knew Sujoy was writing it. He writes his female characters well; so, that was a big yes for me.” The actor plays Mary, Bob’s devoted wife who guides him as he grapples with memory loss.
Abhishek Bachchan in Bob Biswas
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The Diya Annapurna Ghosh-directed venture sees Singh grace the screen almost three years after Bazaar (2018). It’s a pity we don’t see more of the actor who had burst on the scene with tremendous promise in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005). Does she think it’s a function of the ageist ways of Bollywood where 40-plus women have to play mothers on screen, while men in their 50s continue to reign the industry? “I think so. Films are a visual medium; how you look on screen also decides [your longevity] to an extent. [The system] is definitely kinder to men. It’s not just here; [the phenomenon] is across the world. That said, there is a change now. Age shaming — for men and women — is probably not as much as it used to be earlier. The writing has changed. The parts being written are not so much about [an actor’s] age, but about what they bring on the screen as an artiste. The audiences have changed the way they look at women or men in their 40s.”
In the past 16 years, she has done several films — some meaningful, others forgettable. Is it frustrating when she doesn’t get roles to showcase her talent, and her due? “I’d be lying if I said I am not frustrated, but not to the extent that it affects me. All actors are frustrated as we are greedy. But there is a lot of good work happening around. Some of our leading actresses, who are not in their 20s or 30s, are getting great parts. So, the age bracket is being [widened].”
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