Rasika Dugal wants to play Meena Kumari on screen

Mumbai, Aug 24 (IANS) After expressing her desire to portray poet and novelist Amrita Pritam in a film, actress Rasika Dugal said that she would also want to bring late star Meena Kumari’s life on screen.

Talking about starring in a yesteryear star’s biopic, Rasika told IANS: “I have played a central part in a biopic because it is an interesting space. How do you play somebody, who everybody already knows a lot about and has an impression of. I have always wanted to play Amrita Pritam. To be Amrita Pritam in a biopic about her.”

She added that it has been one long standing desire.

“I am hoping someone reaches and casts me. But if it was an actress then I think it would be Meena Kumari,” said the actress, who was honoured with the Diversity Champion award at the 15th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Talking about getting feted with the Diversity Champion award, she said: “As actors we need some very difficult choices in our careers, and one is always second-guessing one’s choices because of a lack of precedence or a standard because every actor’s journey is so unique so there are no set landmarks or benchmarks to hit, so you are always wondering if you have made the correct choice or not.

“And I guess an award like a diversity champion suggests to me that they are honouring the choices I have made in my career so far. That’s very nice to have, and that kind of validation is very encouraging.”

What is more important for her Box-office numbers or winning awards?

“Neither because these are things that are not in my control. I can only sort of worry about work towards something, which I have some sort of control over. How a piece of work is doing at the box-office or how well it is viewed… Something which is so outside of my control I can’t do anything about it except just do myself as an actor,” she said.

The actress said that she of course values something that is being viewed a lot because that gives her more “choices, opens up more opportunities for and helps me to support a project I really want to do.”

–IANS

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