Actress Raima Sen, a fairly popular name in the Hindi film industry, says that her father taught her to be grounded and treat failure as a part of life. She adds that there is more to life than the box office performance of a movie. The star also opens up about her latest release Diagnosis of Love, which is a part of Zee5's Forbidden Love anthology, and says that she took it up as she wanted to work with actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar.
(Edited excerpts from an interview with DH)
What encouraged you to take up Diagnosis of Love?
I have always wanted to work with Mahesh Manjrekar as he is a terrific director-actor. His association with the project encouraged me to take it up.
How was the experience of collaborating with Mahesh Manrjekar?
Yeh ek love story hai between a surgeon and a patient. We interacted a lot on the sets and Mahesh taught me a lot (about essaying the character). It is always easy to learn things while working with someone like him.
What the major difference between working in films when compared to doing a show for a digital platform?
One needs to adhere to strict deadlines while working in the OTT space. As a result, we work harder and film around 14 scenes a day. There a no deadlines in the film spaces so that pressure is not there. Another thing about OTT is that people are coming up with strong creative content.
What is your take on the nepotism debate?
Many people think that things are easy for those who have industry connections but the reality is different. There are a lot of star kids who did not make it. I have had my fair share screen tests (auditions) despite being associated with a film family. Even in Bollywood, the fittest survive in the long run. Luck also plays a role.
What makes you say so?
The reason I say this is because a lot of talented people do not get a break (or get noticed) at the right time, At times, it is all about being at the right place at the right time.
How do you deal with setbacks?
I come from a film family but my father is not from the same background. He always taught us to be grounded. I treat failure as a part of life. Moreover, there is more to life than the success and failure of a film.
What is the one goal you wish to fulfill in the years to come?
The fundamental thing is that I want to carry on doing films with a social message. The goal is to do films that educate the audience through my work.