Srivathsan Nadadhur
Aditi Chengappa has a detached approach to her career in the entertainment industry. The actor’s off-screen life, be it her love for singing or her stint as a yoga teacher, keeps her sane and relieves her of all the pressures and anxieties in the show business. Born to a Kannadiga father and a Tamilian mother, she spent a major part of her life in Delhi and had donned the greasepaint for the first time in actress Bhumika Chawla’s home production in Telugu Thakita Thakita.
Needless to say, she has a knack to pick up languages and has never been over-ambitious or gone all out to promote herself. Films haven’t been her first priority but she’s given it all whenever a film offer has knocked her doors. Ahead of the digital release of her Hindi film Graham Staines, Ek Ankahi Sachai: The Least of These (originally shot in English – The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story) on ShemarooMe Box Office, she opens up for a conversation with Klapboardpost.com. The film, a major success at the festival circuit, is based on an episode where the Australian missionary Graham Staines was brutally murdered along with his two little sons in Odisha.
Seven films in four languages across 10 years. That definitely sounds like an adventure…
It has been a rollercoaster ride, full of highs and lows. I could say it was a life experience – lots of learning, lessons and equal moments of fun. It’s not something I had planned. I always enjoyed it and liked all things creative. Though it isn’t my main profession anymore and I do music and yoga, I’ve always been this character with multiple interests. I’ve remained picky and never wanted to be a part of the rat race. Among my film appearances, shooting for The Least of These has been the most rewarding experience and you’ll know why when you watch the film.
In one of your earliest interviews, as you signed your debut film, you’ve quoted that music is your first love. Has your ‘first love’ changed over these years?
Music is still the closest to my heart and in terms of creativity, it enables me to express myself the most. The statement still holds true. My interests didn’t change over time and in fact, I was teaching yoga in between a few of my films too. A career in the entertainment industry isn’t easy to handle and yoga is the best therapy one could ask for. It comes to me naturally. Practising meditation, paying attention to your breath centres you as a person. I met my yoga guru when I was ten and my mom is a yoga teacher even now (she has been teaching for over 2 decades). Acting can be stressful and chaotic and you have to deal with a lot of factors externally and internally.
What was it like to play a Bengali woman in The Least of These?
Funnily enough, even though I’m 100% South Indian, I grew up in Delhi and people used to say I looked like a Bengali. It happened to me quite a lot of times at school. I took that as a compliment and have always felt Bengali women are gorgeous, right from their skin tone to how they carry themselves, they’re beautiful. I enjoyed the role because she was a realistic woman and there’s no extra sheen added to make her look glamourous; it has a lifelike quality. The Bengali-ness hasn’t been overly emphasised. She’s like every woman out there – simple and relatable.
Was acting in an English film any different?
It was probably the first time I wasn’t nervous with my lines at all. English is the language I’ve been most comfortable with and even did my Honours in it. Both my parents come from different states and they never spoke to each other in any of their mother-tongues. Interestingly, English was the bridge and it’s the language we speak the most at home, apart from Hindi (because we had lived for long in Delhi). Speaking English lines for a film was less stressful, I didn’t have to be so conscious of mugging up dialogues and I could improvise if necessary.
The Least of These is an important film in times when religious polarisation is still a reality in the country. Did you look at it the same way?
That’s interesting because each person takes away something unique from the film. I saw the film from a different tangent. My father has been a journalist for many years and I could notice how he always found a way to tell the truth. He’s always been authentic with his writing regardless of the situation. Sharman Joshi’s character in The Least of These is also driven to find out the truth about Graham Staines and I loved the fact that we were telling the story from the perspective of a journalist. Thanks to my dad, I truly understood that quest and empathised with it while playing the wife of a journalist.
Did it surprise you that it took so long for a filmmaker to make a film on Graham Staines?
This incident in his life happened so long ago that I may not have even been born then. After I was offered the film, I did a lot of digging up and found that the kind of work that Staines did was incredible. Though the way his life ended was tragic, I wondered how no filmmaker has tapped into this subject yet. On a certain level, I can also understand why people may not have taken this up; they would have been nervous to touch a sensitive issue and it was brave on Aneesh sir’s (Aneesh Daniel – the director) part to take it up for his very first film.
What about the story struck a chord with you?
Everyone needs to know Graham Staines’ story and it’s so powerful, moving and beautiful. It’s important to acknowledge this as a story about compassion and forgiveness. Beyond the fact that he was murdered, look at the compassion he had for people who were affected by leprosy when no one was even willing to help and the sufferers didn’t even belong to his country. Staines’ family even after his death, don’t resent and straightaway forgive the killers.
How was it sharing screen space with Sharman Joshi in the film?
I loved seeing how he eased into each of the emotions in the character. I don’t know if I can learn from it because I feel he’s naturally gifted with that and his eyes reflect his emotions so beautifully, it’s as if he’s trained them to do that. It’s beautiful to watch a co-actor pull something off without any effort. The moment he hears ‘action’, he transitions into the role so effortlessly. It’s very inspiring to see such magic unfold in front of you. He’s grounded and easy going and had no airs about being a top actor and was very easy to work with.
The Least of These was conceived as an independent film and had a limited run at the theatres. Are you glad that its digital release would help the story reach many more quarters?
Absolutely! I’m so thrilled that the film is being released in Hindi and it would reach out to many more people. Hindi is perhaps only the beginning and I’m hopeful that the film would be dubbed in many more languages in the times to come.
Do you look back at your earlier films and wonder if you could have done anything better? Have you changed as a person across this decade?
I wouldn’t say I have regrets nor am I embarrassed about any of my films. It’s all part of your journey and growth, my films evoke the same feeling I get when I look at my childhood photographs. Girls especially tend to think of such images like, ‘Why was I even wearing that outfit?’ Films helped me meet some nice people, great actors from whom I learnt immensely and I made good friends. I think I’m the same person, who I was when I entered the industry, but over the years I have probably learnt to listen to my inner voice and make the choices that were right for me. It’s the only change in me I can think of.
You’re quite popular for your live Instagram/Facebook sessions. It opens a dimension of yours that not many are aware of…
Getting to connect with people is a great thing I love about social media. It’s the only part I enjoy about it. My favourite part about being an actor is that it gives me the audience that I can reach, regardless of Facebook or Instagram. It gives me a chance to talk about aspects that really matter to me and I have an audience that’s willing to lend an ear. My ‘lives’ on social media have all been prayer sessions. In a situation like the pandemic, it felt good to be able to converse with people whom I may never meet but it has been cathartic.
What do your parents think of your tryst with the entertainment industry?
My parents have always been very supportive about my career and it never mattered to them if I was on a high or a low. There was never a time where they weren’t proud of me. It has been such a relief because you already put so much pressure on yourself to succeed and if parents add to it, it’s suffocating. I’m very lucky and blessed to have parents who tell me, ‘You need to be a good human being first and all your achievements come later.’ Handling failures or lows become very easy.
Do you like the fact that films let you play roles that are not even remotely close to your true self?
(Bursting into peals of laughter) The reason I’m laughing is that three of my films have had me eloping with someone and delivering a baby including The Least of These and Thakita Thakita. The Least of These had a labour scene and it wasn’t easy at all and especially while dubbing it. Uff! It was terrifying. On a lighter note, films allow you to play characters you may not relate to. Every actor looks for a chance to transform into a role that’s drastically different from their personality. It can be exciting and challenging despite not agreeing with the characters at all. It’s an interesting experience. Rudhramadevi might be the only example where my dream came true as an actor. I always wanted to be in an epic film and wanted to wear the royal costumes, see how the set is designed. Being a stereoscopic 3D movie and for someone who loves photography and cinematography, I spent a lot of time checking the 3D cameras they were using.
