| Times
News Network
In
life, as in films, she has always chosen the path less traveled.
It’s difficult to pigeonhole her in one category. Actor,
painter, photographer, poet – there are many ways to describe
this talented lady. At a time when actors were more conscious
about their image and chose to do ‘safe’ films, Deepti
Naval tried her hand at different genres. Remember Ek baar phir,
Katha, Saath Saath, Chashme-e-Baddoor to name just a few?
Of
late, there have been two films that did full justice to her talent.
Leela (which fetched her an award at the Karachi film festival)
and Freaky Charka. “I loved my role in Leela. The character,
Chaitali, had so much contradictions and complexities. Similarly,
Freaky Chakra was a lot of fun. It gave me a great graph to play,”
says the actor who was in Ahmedabad for the inauguration of an
exhibition and meetings with her publisher.
PASSING
THROUGH
But
before these crossover films happened, Deepti was on a long sabbatical.
Traveling, painting and in a way rediscovering herself. Has she
then changed her approach to work? “A lot has changed but
I am glad I wasn’t part of the kind of cinema I didn’t
want to do”. How difficult was it to say ‘no’
to offers? “Very difficult, because it meant saying ‘no’
to money as well, “she laughs.
Deepti
also loves narrating her experiences in traveling and art. From
traversing the terrain of Ladakh to going for a frozen river trek,
it appears Deepti’s very adventurous. “Not really.
I am not into climbing the highest peaks and so on. I basically
love to walk and that’s what takes me back to the Himalayan
region.”
Same
goes for her brush with art. Though she was fond of painting since
childhood, it’s only in the early 90s that she took it up
with a passion. What are her inspirations? “Life, itself
inspires you. Besides I love interacting with other artists. Just
the other day I attended an art camp where I met several young
artists. It was fun assimilating different experiences.
That,
in a nutshell, has been Deepti’s journey of life. Whatever
be the medium, it’s the urge to make an imprint on each
that sets her apart.
Vijay
Soney
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