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Actor Sumona Chakravarti shares her journey from Lucknow to tinsel town and her hopes to be back here one day
Life has been generously smiling upon Sumona Chakravarti. The young actor, who hails from Lucknow, has now firmly cemented her place in the industry. Best known for her role as Natasha in Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Sumona has managed a successful transition to comedy and her pairing with Kapil Sharma in her latest show on TV has had everyone in splits.
Sumona spent her early childhood in Lucknow. "We used to live on Jopling Road. I attended pre-school at Red Hill and then studied at Loreto Convent till class four. My dad then got a job in Mumbai and we shifted. But I have regularly been coming to Lucknow. My relatives stay in Charbagh and I have a lot of friends in the city." Acknowledging her fondness for the city, she tells us, "I wish that retirement ke baad Lucknow aa jaun- bada sa ghar ho, swimming pool ho," she chuckles
The comic element
Besides Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Sumona has been a regular face in stand-up comedy shows too. And now she's going to star in a pivotal role in Comedy Nights With Kapil alongside Kapil Sharma. Was it difficult managing such a transition? "Comedy was something I never knew I had a flair for. When I got paired with Kapil for Comedy Circus for the first time a year back, my first reaction was, 'Dude, that's fun!' I went with a puppy face and told Kapil ki dekho bhai, main pehli baar kar rahi hoon, please help me out. At times when BALH gets stressful, comedy acts like a stress buster for me. In comedy shows, humein masti karne ke paise milte hain," she chuckles.
The Barfi experience
Sumona recently made her Bollywood debut with Anurag Basu's Barfi. "I have known dada (Anurag Basu) since a long time. So, when he offered me the role, I just couldn't say no. I did the film simply for him. I knew the length of my role would be small but I wanted to work with 'Anurag Basu'." Elaborating on her experience, she says, "Barfi was like a crash course in film school. I used to spend a lot of time with dada behind the monitor and Ravi Varman sir (the cinematographer of the film). We would just shoot one scene in six hours. TV is all about quantity, films are about quality. The director has everything in his head. On my first day on the set, I was told that there was no script. Initially I thought ki dada ne kahaan phasa diya, but then I realized that that is how the film industry functions. Barfi was the height of being natural. Ileana D'cruz and I would watch Ranbir Kapoor perform and our reactions were absolutely real. I loved the overall experience. It was like a paid holiday for me." Sumona is all praises for herBarfi co-star, Ranbir Kapoor. "I was in awe of Ranbir's work but I was not star-struck by him. I think that was something he really liked and we used to have normal conversations, saath mein baith ke chai peete the," she says.
Some solid stuff
After getting a taste of the silver screen courtesy Barfi, unlike other TV actors, Sumona hasn't really planned a full-fledged move to filmdom. "Nowadays, cinema is changing so much. There is so much of mixed and global cinema happening. Look at Richa Chadda and Huma Qureshi- they are not your typical Bollywood-looking heroines. But they are doing a lot of good work. I'm not focussed ki mere ko Yash Raj heroine type debut launch chahiye. I'm okay with doing hard core, meaty roles like Parineeti Chopra or Konkona Sen Sharma. I'm very greedy for such roles. Bhalefive minutes ho, lekin solid ho," she says.
Romancing the lens
Having received no formal training in acting, Sumona has learnt the dynamics of the profession on the job. "During school and college, I always used to be on stage participating in dramatics or any other activity. I have never been to an acting school in my entire life. I am not the sort of a person who can sit in a classroom and learn - be it an acting school or a regular school. I learnt facing the camera, things like focus, stuff about direction, everything on the job," she says. Now that she is picking up the nitty-gritties of a behind-the-scenes job, do we see her in that avatar? "I really don't know. I love romancing the lens. Probably after a body of work of 20 years, I might think about it. It is a huge responsibility. You are responsible for a whole lot of other stuff besides yourself. Right now, I'm just happy being responsible about myself," she chuckles.
A friendly call
Talk about relationships and she takes a hearty laugh. "I haven't been in a relationship since past five years. My friends are just so protective about me. Na date pe jaane dete hain, na khud kuch karte hain. But I'm okay being this way. I know that if I love fall in love, I'm headlong into it. So, I'd rather not. I want to work, I don't see myself committed anytime soon," she shares.
Life has been generously smiling upon Sumona Chakravarti. The young actor, who hails from Lucknow, has now firmly cemented her place in the industry. Best known for her role as Natasha in Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Sumona has managed a successful transition to comedy and her pairing with Kapil Sharma in her latest show on TV has had everyone in splits.
Sumona spent her early childhood in Lucknow. "We used to live on Jopling Road. I attended pre-school at Red Hill and then studied at Loreto Convent till class four. My dad then got a job in Mumbai and we shifted. But I have regularly been coming to Lucknow. My relatives stay in Charbagh and I have a lot of friends in the city." Acknowledging her fondness for the city, she tells us, "I wish that retirement ke baad Lucknow aa jaun- bada sa ghar ho, swimming pool ho," she chuckles
The comic element
Besides Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Sumona has been a regular face in stand-up comedy shows too. And now she's going to star in a pivotal role in Comedy Nights With Kapil alongside Kapil Sharma. Was it difficult managing such a transition? "Comedy was something I never knew I had a flair for. When I got paired with Kapil for Comedy Circus for the first time a year back, my first reaction was, 'Dude, that's fun!' I went with a puppy face and told Kapil ki dekho bhai, main pehli baar kar rahi hoon, please help me out. At times when BALH gets stressful, comedy acts like a stress buster for me. In comedy shows, humein masti karne ke paise milte hain," she chuckles.
The Barfi experience
Sumona recently made her Bollywood debut with Anurag Basu's Barfi. "I have known dada (Anurag Basu) since a long time. So, when he offered me the role, I just couldn't say no. I did the film simply for him. I knew the length of my role would be small but I wanted to work with 'Anurag Basu'." Elaborating on her experience, she says, "Barfi was like a crash course in film school. I used to spend a lot of time with dada behind the monitor and Ravi Varman sir (the cinematographer of the film). We would just shoot one scene in six hours. TV is all about quantity, films are about quality. The director has everything in his head. On my first day on the set, I was told that there was no script. Initially I thought ki dada ne kahaan phasa diya, but then I realized that that is how the film industry functions. Barfi was the height of being natural. Ileana D'cruz and I would watch Ranbir Kapoor perform and our reactions were absolutely real. I loved the overall experience. It was like a paid holiday for me." Sumona is all praises for herBarfi co-star, Ranbir Kapoor. "I was in awe of Ranbir's work but I was not star-struck by him. I think that was something he really liked and we used to have normal conversations, saath mein baith ke chai peete the," she says.
Some solid stuff
After getting a taste of the silver screen courtesy Barfi, unlike other TV actors, Sumona hasn't really planned a full-fledged move to filmdom. "Nowadays, cinema is changing so much. There is so much of mixed and global cinema happening. Look at Richa Chadda and Huma Qureshi- they are not your typical Bollywood-looking heroines. But they are doing a lot of good work. I'm not focussed ki mere ko Yash Raj heroine type debut launch chahiye. I'm okay with doing hard core, meaty roles like Parineeti Chopra or Konkona Sen Sharma. I'm very greedy for such roles. Bhalefive minutes ho, lekin solid ho," she says.
Romancing the lens
Having received no formal training in acting, Sumona has learnt the dynamics of the profession on the job. "During school and college, I always used to be on stage participating in dramatics or any other activity. I have never been to an acting school in my entire life. I am not the sort of a person who can sit in a classroom and learn - be it an acting school or a regular school. I learnt facing the camera, things like focus, stuff about direction, everything on the job," she says. Now that she is picking up the nitty-gritties of a behind-the-scenes job, do we see her in that avatar? "I really don't know. I love romancing the lens. Probably after a body of work of 20 years, I might think about it. It is a huge responsibility. You are responsible for a whole lot of other stuff besides yourself. Right now, I'm just happy being responsible about myself," she chuckles.
A friendly call
Talk about relationships and she takes a hearty laugh. "I haven't been in a relationship since past five years. My friends are just so protective about me. Na date pe jaane dete hain, na khud kuch karte hain. But I'm okay being this way. I know that if I love fall in love, I'm headlong into it. So, I'd rather not. I want to work, I don't see myself committed anytime soon," she shares.
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