Mumbai, Dec 25
Actress Chitrangda Singh took a reflective look at Bollywood’s journey over the first 25 years of the 21st century, calling this period a significant chapter in her life as this is when her life started as an actor.
Reflecting on the first 25 years of the 21st century, Chitrangda told IANS: “ I didn't think of this as the first quarter, but this is when my life as an actor started, so definitely very important for me. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi was my first film.”
She recalled her body of work, including films like Inkaar, which came before the Me Too movement, and iconic titles such as Three Idiots, Dangal, Sultan, and internationally recognized Slumdog Millionaire.
“I did quite a few films like Inkaar, which kind of came again before Me Too came. I feel a lot of my work came before time. Some of the most iconic films I can remember are definitely Three Idiots. There was Dangal, there is Sultan, there is, lately, Homebound that's gone all the way, there was Slumdog Millionaire to some extent coming from India.”
She says that there's just too much work to choose from.
“Vishal Bhardwaj's work was amazing; Abhishek Chaubey was so good. There is, of course, Spy Universe on the other side. There is Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I feel there's just too much. It's been amazing, and I suppose, in retrospect, as much as we criticize and are cynical of the work that's happening presently, I think when we look back, we should have quite a few things to be proud of.”
Reflecting on the evolution of cinema, she observed: “Storytelling has changed. I don't know if that's called evolved. Let's just say it's different than then. Technically, of course, we've become much better. But sometimes technology is the bane of storytelling. It somehow interferes too much.”
Chitrangda highlighted recent films like Dhurandar, where technology and AI were used effectively to enhance the narrative.
“Having said that, I think Dhurandar is one of those films lately that we've seen where technology, AI, all of those things have just, you know, come so beautifully together to tell a story. So, yeah, I suppose moving forward, we will get better with time.”
Having said that, the actress also praised path-breaking works such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Rang De Basanti, and Lagaan.
“But at the same time, without the crutches of technology and AI, I mean, all of these things, I hope that we can also spend a lot more effort and time on writing, because that definitely will always, always remain the king. Gangs of Wasseypur was very path-breaking, I thought. Rang De Basanti and Lagaan, I think, were also very important films. So yeah, there are quite a few.”
