The opening film of the UK Asian Film Festival is Raahgir (The Wayfarers) (UK/ India, 2019, Dir: Goutam Ghose) which will premiere on Wednesday 26th May at BFI Southbank. The film features actors Adil Hussain, Tillotama Shome, Neeraj Kabi, in the story of a man and woman driven by hunger to search for work in the nearest town.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, actor Tillotama Shome spoke about Raahgir, her choices, and the future of films in the post-Covid world.
Q - Your film Raahgir is based on two underprivileged people who are trying to find economic opportunities. It comes at a time when this subject couldn't be more relevant than ever. What was the idea behind the inception of the film? Can you please elaborate?
This is a question for the director. Goutam da films have celebrated the extraordinary stories of ordinary men and women. I wanted to be a part of the film, to work with him, a filmmaker and human with such a rich legacy and yet an abundance of innocence. There is one more thought that this film underlined for me: playing this character was hard physically because of what the body went through. But in uttering these very words, one becomes aware of one's immense privilege. 'Playing' the part of a marginalized woman who has to walk for a whole day to get to work was so 'exhausting' for me the actress. I told the director, my manager, my family that I wanted to take a break from playing characters that were so poor. The cumulative guilt of having made a living from playing characters so poor was suddenly bearing very heavy on me. Some films break open something in you, which one had managed to keep at bay in order to survive.
Q - From Dussehra (a documentary on incest) to Sir (on Netflix), you've always mirrored the lesser debated/discussed sentiment of the common man which encompass pivotal societal issues. What makes you choose such imperative projects and where do you seek your inspiration from to play such roles?
The criterion for selection is a very symbiotic one most of the time. You think you are choosing, not knowing the project has chosen you. I can only look back at this process retrospectively. I came into the world of performance as an act of defiance against certain limitations that I felt were stifling me. The acting continues to be that act of defiance against despair, disbelief and all the toxic stuff that does me no good.
Q - You're unarguably one of the most trusted, widely appreciated actors in Indian cinema. If given a choice, what would you do differently, especially if you were to write or direct more evolved roles for women?
Oh thank you for feeling that way about my work, I am very encouraged! I would have spent even less time whining about how unfair and difficult the industry is. I would have spent more time investing in growing myself. Nobody can be more committed to your growth than yourself. I wish for more evolved roles not just for women but men too. The stereotypes are not just stifling but also stillborn and boring as hell.
Q - Given the uncertainty of the pandemic and logistics of filmmaking while following protocol, what according to you is the future of the movies in India? Please address the OTT versus Theatre war.
Let's not war, there are enough fires burning outside. I for one do not want to bring in the syntax of war and its divisive philosophy into any other world, least of all the arts. It's time to build bridges and heal. Artists, storytellers, filmmakers can't just continue making things just as they were... nothing is the same. Why are we making what we are making? This will lead us in ways that I hope will transcend all petty differences and create a new world where art manages to capture this extraordinary time as we pass through it and it passes through us.
Q - Do you think female actors will be given their due (monetarily and critically) in times when financing movies can be a daunting task for producers and projects will see the light of the day after much evaluation?
I believe we will be given our due. I would like to believe that. If I can't believe in change, life would be insufferable. Women will play an important role in rehabilitation and their contribution will be respected not just verbally but economically too. I would like to believe in this possibility very much.
