IIPM

Slums have a thing about them. They look the same in every country. This one at Sayedabad locality in Dhaka was no different— palm-thatched mud huts and shanties covered with colourful designs. As we moved from the main road to the dark alleys, nothing much changed. However, there was one difference. The deeper we went, the graffiti in linier eastern-Nagri script of Bangla gave way to the cursive and round Telugu script. Also, there was a visible change in the dresses and appearances of the people who lived in these houses. White coarse saris gave way to colourful and patterned ones; and lungis were replaced by Angavastrams. Welcome to Dhaka’s Telugu colony!

The Telugu people were first introduced here by the British after the Sepoy Mutiny. Although many of them were soldiers in the Imperial Army, the majority worked as janitors. The then Gazetteer of Dhaka puts their population to around 20,000. Today, their population has swelled to around 3,50,000, and their profession remains unchanged. “Of the 12 sects of Telugus, members of only three sects—Kapolo, Malolo and Shaklolo – migrated to Bangladesh,” quips Alluvari Demudu, a community elder. “Kapolo, who were from royal blood of Kapu were brought as mercenaries. The rest work as sweepers.”

The community has remarkably preserved their unique culture and cuisine in this foreign clime. Women still wear nose-pins on the both sides of their noses – something that is not very common among Bangalis; so also are silver anklets and toe-rings. Shankar Pollati Apparo, head of Telugu Development Society says, “We struggle hard to preserve our culture. But it is difficult. Youngsters prefer Bangla over Telugu. There are no jobs apart from a janitor’s if you speak only Telugu. Also, we are constantly uprooted and cannot have any permanent home.” When you are poor the only thing you own is your identity. That is the last thing you loose before sinking into oblivion. ....Continue

How do you choose a movie to work in?
I instinctively move towards projects that resonate with my interests, concerns and dilemmas. Some films didn’t turn out the way I had imagined. But I am happy that at least I made those choices for honest reasons. What I look for is a good script, a director who can translate that into an interesting cinematic experience and a role that is believable.

You have done 30 roles in 10 languages. Did you ever see parts of Nandita Das in any role?
How can I? How can I make a Nandita Das out of the role I do? When you watch a movie, say "Kannagi" in Malayalam or "Azhagi" in Tamil or "Earth" in Hindi, you are watching the character, not Nandita Das, the person. But in another way, in every role I do, there is a part of myself. It is not possible to avoid that. A character is made out of both the character itself and Nandita. If the character is performed by another actor, it will become another character. The actor’s experiences in life are bound to affect the character. So, it’s not Nandita Das portraying herself, but the character will have a little Nandita Das in it when it is performed by Nandita Das.

Which was the most difficult language you have worked in?
Of course, it is Malayalam. Pronunciation of the language is very difficult. But I have worked in four Malayalam films, and now I’m slowly picking up the language. And I love to learn languages.

Nandita, the social activist, the actor, the director, the writer.... Where do all these come together? How do you manage all these roles?
It’s not like that. Whether you make the choice of a character you want to play, whether you direct a movie, whether you are into social activism advocating certain issues, whether you share your thoughts through writing or speech, these are different mediums you use to communicate. I told you that I’m really a communicator. It all comes together at a point. The point is the heart, and mind which shares these thoughts.

Can we expect another Nandita movie soon?
I’m still on the lookout for interesting scripts. It may happen from within me or from outside. I’m not sure. But it will not be done soon.

Many times your views, movies etc are compared with those of Shabana Azmi. How do you feel?
Yes, sometimes people do say that I’m walking in Shabana Azmi’s footsteps. In this field, some amount of comparison and labelling is inevitable. People will do that. Media particularly likes to label people. It makes their work easy. But everybody's likes and choices are different. It’s not that Shabana has done only parallel movies. She has done a lot of commercial movies too. Whether good or bad, people have a tendency to generalise things. She is a different person. But I don’t take such comparisons seriously.

What are your future projects?
I will start acting again in March. I will be working with Deepa Mehta again in "Midnight’s Children." And we might be doing another film together before that. My advocacy work is still on, but I will get back to it more intensely after February.....Continue

All of us swallow pills when we are unwell, which are excreted in our urine. But, the wastewater treatment plants don’t filter out drugs. The problem arises when people flush unused drugs down the toilet which find their way to nearby lakes or streams. Researchers found that drugs like antidepressants, which end up reaching the sea or river, affect fishes in many ways, like slowing their response to predators and their techniques of hunting prey. ....Continue