True to life

With her distinctive heavy brows and bee-stung lips,Sarita Choudhury is familiar to most lovers of art-house cinema.

Written by Pooja Pillai

July 20, 2010 01:50 AM IST

4 min read

With her distinctive heavy brows and bee-stung lips,Sarita Choudhury is familiar to most lovers of art-house cinema. Critics sat up and took notice of the dark haired actress for her bold performance in Mississippi Masala. But it was her role in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love,as the tortured queen Tara,that really brought the actress to wider public attention. The movie went on to be a box-office dud,but Chowdhury was appreciated as much for her brooding beauty as for her undeniable ability to make an impact even in the smallest of roles. Indian audiences last saw her in Manoj N Shymalans Lady in the Water,where she played a small but significant role. She returns to Indian screens with a leading role in For Real,an independent feature film written and directed by debutant Sona Jain. The film,which releases on August 20 here,has already won a slew of awards,including Best Screenplay at the Asian Festival of First Films 2009.

My role in For Real is that of a mother who has given up her singing career, Choudhury explains,She is a woman who has suppressed her main passion to be with her family. She deals with a loss that she cannot quite handle. Her distant behaviour leads her daughter to believe that she is no longer her mother but a sad alien. Its an unusual storyline,but her rolethat of Delhi housewife Priya Singhtouched a chord in Choudhury,who is herself a mother. I could relate to the subject because I am an artist and a mother. And sometimes the two dont go hand in hand easily. It has taken me a while to understand that doing what I love does not take away from being a good mother. When I come back from a film set,the joy of seeing my daughter is what fuels me to go to work the next day and even opens my heart more. So when Jain came to her with the script,Choudhury grabbed the chance to play a role that hit so close to home. Jain understood the character well. She would just say one thing and I would instantly understand how Priya would sit,talk and cry.

The New York-based actress debuted in 1992 with Mira Nairs Mississippi Masala,in what she says was her most memorable role till date,and went on to do two more movies with the director,Kama Sutra and The Perez Family. Nair has since then more or less moved on from independent cinema to big studio projects,and she and Choudhury have not worked together in many years. But the actress remains hopeful of future collaboration. Mira is such a charismatic and smart lady,and she brought me into the world of films.

Although shes been part of the American independent cinema scene,as well as theatre and television,it doesnt bother Choudhury much that globally shes recognised only for her roles in Mississippi Masala and Kama Sutra. Ive worked very hard to get the platform that I have in New York,but I understand that these two movies remain high points of my career, she declares. In fact,the 43-year-old actress is also considering a move to Indian cinema. I have always wanted to act in Indian movies. But because I live and work in New York,there was a disconnect. Now people are asking me to do both independent and Bollywood movies. That makes me happy.

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