Creator of a television serial called Thodasa Aasmaa, Deepti Naval’s sky is indeed vast as it stretches from one horizon of life to another as she dabbles with consummate ease in different media – be it films, direction, scripting, painting, photography, poetry or doing road shows for television channels.

Her work is representative of modern existential conflicts, joys and sorrows, of wearing and tearing different masks for survival. The work encompasses the expression of music of the soul with velvety photographic images and honest experiences of brutality in different spheres of life through Sylvia Plath-like poetic images. The essential realm of her work, however, remains sublime. Her paintings – she has had a show at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay – are studies of self-portraits, including a nude, and belongs to the genre of the impressionistic school of art. Be it a lighted lantern hanging in the dark or a woman standing nude by the side of a door, her work is personal yet touches on the universal by the deft touch of a brush, the skillful use of words, the sensitive lens-eye or the naturalness in portraying different roles as an actress.

Deepti’s hunger for creativity remains insatiable even as she feels that the Hindi filmdom does not have anything to offer a 40-year old actress in terms of roles. Yet this has not disillusioned her as she is busy working on a script, while pursuing her widely varied interests that include a love for books and music.

ABHINAV NAYAR