I'm returning to Kolkata as a sharper person: Rituparna Sengupta

Rituparna Sengupta is finally gearing up to return to Kolkata after spending eight months of family time in Singapore. “It is my longest stay here. I think I’m going to be back as a sharper person with my renewed world views. This period allowed me to pause and analyse human nature,” she told us during a freewheeling chat where the actress – who rings in her birthday tomorrow – also spoke about her uninterrupted family life and how the pandemic break came as a “beautiful gift” to her.Excerpts:
This is perhaps the longest that you’ve been out of Kolkata. Give us a peek into your Singapore diaries.
Months of uninterrupted stay with family is quite a new lifestyle for me. I always felt the need to spend more time with them, but my work didn’t allow me to. So, for me, this pandemic-induced break turned out to be a really beautiful gift. Of course the COVID situation is ghastly and undesirable, but I cannot ignore the fact that this gave me a chance to spend what I think is the maximum time in my life with my husband and children.
How did you spend your family time?
Earlier, I would always run to and fro to meet my children, as my work is based in Kolkata. I felt the pain of not being able to live with my children and spend time with them due to my schedule. But this period was highly satisfying – I got them and they got me. We shared the little joys of life like buying groceries together, going out for shopping and playing carrom/badminton. I even cooked for them, trying to add something new to the daily menu. I also engaged myself with their online classes and checked if my daughter uploaded her homework properly. My son taught me a few tricks about card games and Rishona spent time painting with me. She would also make us dalgona coffee at times. These small joys of family life have made me a very happy person.
The pandemic has changed the way we look at our lives...
This pandemic has hit everyone really hard. While Singapore worked really well in handling it, I know so many people who’ve lost their near and dear ones in the pandemic. It is a matter of global concern. Even in this horrible year, this period gave me a chance to celebrate my family life. There were days when I felt low and depressed. But I made sure not to harbour those feelings. To overcome that, I used to take a walk and speak to my bunch of friends. I even read up on mental health apart from some Bengali novels.
Do you think this period has helped you become a better person?
These eight months gave me ample opportunity to think. This break from the working spree enabled me to pause and reflect on my life. I think I am much more sorted and organised now. For the longest time, I have taken people at face value. But now I realise that there could be more to them than meets the eye. You are constantly learning from life. A lot of new things happened for me in this period. For instance, I attended the parent-teacher meetings for my daughter, dealt with a plumber when Sanjay (husband) was not home. I was a hands-on mother. I learnt cycling and wanted to get a driving licence in Singapore. I did certain things that are commonplace but still very new to me. How are you preparing for your homecoming? What are the projects that you have in the pipeline?
I am planning to be back by the end of this month. I will first complete the dubbing for Arindam Sil’s Maayakumari and then finish shooting Datta. By November end, I hope to start working on two new projects with young directors. In fact, I have been working here as well. I did a short film and worked with migrant workers in Singapore. I also shot for commercials and did music albums, dance dramas, work videos and so on. I even took up writing and penned three poems here. I am in talks with many directors, both Bengali and other languages. I have a few OTT offers as well. That is going to be a new thing for me. I am considering a film in Mumbai by a very big cinematographer and planning to explore other genres, including horror, too.