Birthday Special! Rituparna Sengupta: The pandemic gave me the chance to rediscover myself

Rituparna Sengupta who is celebrating her birthday in London with family has never allowed the crippling effects of the pandemic to dampen her spirit. Instead, she took the challenge and vowed to flourish her creativity and in the past few months, the seasoned actor has been busy shooting for her upcoming films. However, these work commitments never became an obstacle for her philanthropic works.
During Durga Puja, she had collaborated with trans-women and acid attack survivors for a unique music video. The Bengali diva, known for her strong voice for transgender rights, thinks trans-women should also be made a part of the festivities. She also distributed food packets and clothes to the children Manicktalla Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja.
She says, “I’ve often said that trans-people along with sex workers also have the right to be a part of the rituals that we follow while worshipping the Goddess. I believe everyone has a Durga in her heart. It symbolizes both power and agility within every woman and it’s crucial that our society understands them.”
The National Award-winning actress also regrets the way these women are left behind and neglected in any celebration. “I really can’t accept this. They, too, are part of our society and I will be always here raising my voice against any such discrimination against these ill-treated souls. During Durga Puja, I’m planning to spend a day with them and help with necessities,” insists Rituparna who looking forward to the birthday party her husband Sanjay has arranged at the place where they are staying in London. She will return to Singapore from London and then will come to Kolkata in January.
The seasoned actress also shares how the pandemic gave her an opportunity to rediscover herself. “This tough time taught us how to invest more into our relationships, parents, children and emotions. I think we started going too fast before this COVID-19 crisis, like a cyclone. Life became too mechanical for us,” she revealed adding that, “The best thing for me was helping my daughter, guiding in her studies for exams, giving more time in dance videos with her and teaching her how to paint. I also did cycling, driving and even contributed to a Covid kitchen and vaccination for special children.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Rituparna was recently in Himachal to shoot for Tathagata Bhattacharya’s film ‘Akorik’. The film also has Victor Banerjee and Anuradha Roy in key roles. She has two Hindi films in her kitty as well. While she has been cast opposite Dipak Tijori in Veena Bakshi’s ‘Ittar’, the popular actress will be seen opposite Anurag Kashyap in ‘Bansuri’, directed by Hari Viswanath. She’s also playing one of the leads in Kabir Lal’s ‘Antardrishti’. Rituparna will also be seen in Ranjan Ghosh’s Bengali film ‘Mahishasur Marddini’ co-starring Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Saswata Chatterjee.