Chitrangada Satarupa is in a reflective phase of life. Between embracing motherhood, rediscovering patience through the unpredictability of acting and navigating an industry she admits is not always kind to honest people, the actor speaks with striking candour. In this exclusive conversation, she opens up about the emotional surprises of parenting, her evolving relationship with success and failure, working opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Main Actor Nahin Hoon and the powerful personal decision to adopt her mother’s name. Her relationship with mother Satarupa Sanyal and sister Ritabhari Chakraborty is just as fascinating and endearing as any family drama. Grounded, self-aware and resilient, Chitrangada looks back at her journey with humility rather than bitterness…
What has been the most surprising part of motherhood for you?
I was excited for the journey but I never thought I’d feel this way. Once a friend had told me that she didn’t let her nanny do anything. She wanted to do everything for her child. I found it a little strange but now I understand why. I can relate to what she was saying. Despite having a nanny, I change my kid’s diaper, give him a bath and what not.
Who is the stricter parent already?
None of us are strict. But I think I’ll be the stricter one. We still have time to be strict.
When we spoke to Aditya Kripalani about your casting in Main Actor Nahin Hoon, he said that you are absolutely opposite of your character…
You know, Aditya asked me to audition for the movie. I did, because I wanted to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Initially, someone else was producing the film. They wanted to put someone else in my role. The good thing is Aditya sends the entire screenplay to all the actors who he is auditioning for the lead. The script felt very engaging from the beginning. I thought to myself, ‘We don’t get to do these kind of films.’ It’s a conversational drama. It is engaging, relatable and layered. There was a lot of scope to perform. The character is well sketched and written. The screenplay and story fit well. It seemed like a great combination from the get go. So, I prepared and poured my heart and soul into the process. And the fact that the character is absolutely opposite of me, that was not only challenging, but also exciting. Like her, I am also a puritanical artiste, but I am not so rigid.
You met Nawazuddin Siddiqui while shooting with him via a Zoom call…
Yes, I did not meet him in person initially. That was a part of his plan. I met him directly on the day of shoot. They said action and he came on the video call, which was the audition scene. So that was the first time I saw him. I immediately told him that I was a fan. But throughout the film, we were seeing each other on video call. I met him eventually. He was sweet and fun to interact with. We chatted about cinema and acting. We even had healthy debates. After a point, I realised that he is a person I can actually have debates with. Having said that, he was very easy to work with during the shoot. He would never come and interfere and tell you how to do your job. But he would constantly keep playing with you and expect you to play with him. Acting with him seemed like a good tennis or badminton match. If it continues, you can also improvise. He is also improvising. And Aditya was constantly giving us extra inputs.
Your character was mentoring Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character throughout the movie. Did you ever have a mentor like that in your career?
I didn’t have a constant mentor. I did theatre for sometime but COVID-19 happened after that. There have been phases. I worked with Manav Kaul. He was a mentor for some time. But he never claims to be anybody’s mentor. I worked with Kalki Koechlin, who is actually a very dear friend of mine. But in my head, I would not call her a mentor. But I look up to how she has navigated her career. Makarand Deshpande sir sort of mentored me. He pushed me to go beyond my initial idea of acting. He made me an expressive extrovert. A little larger than life.
What is the biggest lesson that your mother Satarupa Sanyal has taught you?
My mother has been very honest in her journey. That has also backfired at times. The industry is not very nice to honest people. My mother’s honesty reflects in her. My sister (Ritabhari Chakraborty) and I have inherited this from her. Her honest way of working is within us. Whatever we do, we do it with diligence, dignity and self-respect. She has taught us that we should have good knowledge about our work. There is nothing like half-baked knowledge or zero idea of what is going on. We have inherited these from my mother.
It was quite inspiring of you to change your surname to your mother’s first name…
When I was young, I was always asked why I use Chakraborty instead of Sanyal, which is my mother’s last name. But my mother made me use Chakraborty, which is my father Utpalendu Chakrabarty’s last name. It did not occur to me that I could use Sanyal, because the society tells us to take our father’s last name. In 2019, my partner (now husband) Sambit Chatterjee and I discussed about not giving any surname to our children, if and when we have them. Then we thought what if we put my mother’s name as the surname, because someone from Sambit’s family had done the same with their kids. I liked the idea. It inspired me. Then it struck me that I could the same. So, that is how Chitrangada Satarupa happened. I did not tell my mother immediately, but ironically I changed my name around Father’s Day. I had always felt like if I have to carry someone’s name with mine, it had to be my mother’s. She has done everything for me.
Is your sister Ritabhari someone whose opinions you deeply value in your personal life and professional life?
Yes, both of us take each other’s opinions. We don’t agree with each other over a lot of things but we don’t try to impose our opinions and suggestions on each other. It is healthy and chill that way.
You’ve made your debut with Antore Bahire in 2012 and your Hindi debut with Tikli & Laxmi Bomb in 2017. It has been some time that you have been in this industry. What was the biggest professional transformation in your life over the last few years?
Tikli & Laxmi Bomb really changed my career trajectory. I felt great. I thought it would translate to a lot of bigger things. But it does not work that way. I got slightly bigger projects, but then, COVID-19 arrived and ruined our plans. Everything came to a standstill. That was quite the blow. I would feel so angry in the initial months of COVID-19. We were only sitting at home. I started giving acting classes, but ultimately, that’s not what I wanted to do. But I had to keep in touch with my craft. I had to pay my rent.
You have an unreleased film called Mariam…
Do you enjoy theatre more, or is it films?
It’s like asking, ‘Do you love your mom or dad?’ Okay, in my case, I will obviously say mom. I have also walked out of plays, which I thought were a waste of time. And not all films are good. Both have pros and cons.
Has your journey given your personality a softer side?
It has made me humbler. I remember myself when Tikli & Laxmi Bomb released, I was freaking out. I feel more grounded now. I am more realistic and thick skinned now. I know I won’t feel bad if certain things don’t work out. This approach has made me softer.
Also Read: Main Actor Nahin Hoon Review: An Experiment in Truth
