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Indian cinema was never always about stars: Actress Rajshri Deshpande
Panaji, Dec 16 (IANS) Laxmi of “Angry Indian Goddesses”, Durga of “S Durga”, Subhadra of “Sacred Games” and Ismat of “Manto”. Actress Rajshri Deshpande is glad people know her on-screen characters more than they know her.
Walking into a room with an audience and hearing murmurs of “Who is she? Oh, she was in ‘Sacred Games'” didn’t come as a disappointment to Rajshri at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here last month.
“I am glad that the kind of roles I am doing, nobody recognises me… That’s the success of my characters. That’s what we need to do. We need to create more and more characters from all over the place, where we (actors) are mixed with people. Let’s be one colour,” Rajshri told the panel.
In a tete-a-tete with IANS, Rajshri said she is glad people are writing more characters for women.
“More normal characters,” she corrected herself, adding that what makes her feel happier is that topics which people were scared to discuss about are coming out in the open.
“Earlier there used to be such characters. Our cinema was never always about stars. Our cinema was also about Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, and that’s the reason I believe cinema is cinema. I don’t remember only growing up watching the stars. I saw films like ‘Bhumika’ and ‘Mandi’,” added Rajshri, who comes from a village around Aurangabad.
Her fond memories are of watching socially relevant cinema which was proudly shown by national broadcaster Doordarshan.
“We have grown up watching ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’, not ‘Star Wars’,” she quipped, adding that Indian cinema just needs a bit of revival at this point.
“We have become a cinema which is about who is wearing what, who goes to which gym, who did what with whom, who married whom and where, who wore what at the wedding… We are more worried about that, and are forgetting the real cinema.”
Nevertheless, she is glad roles with “substance and content” are coming her way. Her upcoming projects include Shonali Bose’s Priyanka Chopra-starrer “The Sky Is Pink” and psychological horror drama “Nirvana Inn” with Adil Hussain and Sandhya Mridul.
Rajshri comes from a humble background. She was born to a farmer, and is one of three sisters.
“I have come from that different and difficult background where a girl child is a no-no,” she said, recounting how one of her sisters had once told her, “You will go nowhere”.
What do they say now?
“They don’t know where I am. They don’t know, because a tier-II city won’t still have an ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ in the theatre. So what do I do is still a sort of mystery to them. My sisters have seen it, but they feel I should be written about more, my photograph should come in the papers more, I should be seen on TV… They feel why don’t I do a serial… But what to tell them,” Rajshri said, breaking into a laugh.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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