In a world where almost all actresses have to toe the Bollywood stereotype if only to prove their versatility, Deepti Naval’s career has however remained distinctly different finds PRATEEK SWAIKA

1. Do you think the divide between formula and art films is gradually decreasing?
Economically, the divide still exists. But earlier, art films implied a movie which was slow, lacked musical scores, and wasn’t entertaining. This impression no longer exists.

2. Why was there a long gap in the 90s before your next film was released?
I had reached a point where I was not getting creative satisfaction. After dabbling with popular films, I began to feel miserable as an actress. I would be there physically, not mentally. I decided that if this is what I am going to be doing then I should rather stay away from the screen and not be seen at all.

3. What prevented you from becoming a commercial actress?
I was very clear about the kind of roles I wanted to do. I always wanted to belong to parallel cinema. I designed my career in such a way that singing, dancing, running around the trees could not fit in. I didn’t want to go hip-swinging in front of the movie cameras and cater to the front benches.

4. Do you have plans to do theatre?
I am very tempted to try, but at the same time petrified. I can’t learn lines, especially not so many. Just a few days back Naseeruddin Shah wanted to know the same thing, and I asked him to give me a role where I don’t have to speak at all! I am however, busy theses days with plans for producing my own film.