Despite being critically acclaimed for her performances, actress Nandita Das says she does not want to remain unifocal in life by taking acting as her only vocation.
She also said she did not want to be typecast and would like to work in a comedy. The dusky beauty and actress of such films like Fire, Earth and Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa told PTI on the sidelines of ongoing International Film Festival Of India (IFFI-2006) that acting was not the be-all and end-all for her as she has a `life outside the silver screen'.
"I love the process of acting but I don't think it is the be-all and end-all of my life. I am interested in a lot of other things besides acting and films. I love poetry, I love traveling."
"I am passionate about advocating women's issues. I see myself doing a lot of things besides acting," Das added. However, she admitted the choices she has made, like living in Delhi away from the glamour of tinsel-town so that she can follow other pursuits of her life, has resulted in her losing out on a lot of work. "Given that I live in Delhi, I have lost out on a lot of work because it is very important to be visible, to do photo shoots and interviews."
"Over the years, I have also been slotted as someone who will only do a particular kind of movie, which is not true. I would love to do a comedy someday. Unfortunately, people don't seem to think that I am open to such roles", she added.
"I choose my films on how they affect me, whether it touches a chord in my heart. It doesn't bother me now that people say I am a serious actress," she said.
Das, who is here to participate in IFFI in connection with the screening of Marathi film Maati Maay (featuring her) directed by Chitra Palekar, however, is quick to admit that not all her films turn out to be as she imagines them to be.
"Sometimes a script can really touch you but the end- product is not how you expected it. What matters is that you do a film for the right reasons," Das, often referred to as the thinking man's beauty, said.
The actress is very excited about her forthcoming film, Santosh Sivand-directed Kerala, which she says is a drama, thriller and romance--all in one. While Maati Maay, based on a story by Mahashewta Devi, is Das' first Marathi film. She also forayed into Bengali and Telugu cinema this year.
"I do not choose my films on the basis of language. I choose them on the basis of story. I don't look at it as a Marathi film or a Telugu film," she noted.
"Over the years, I have also been slotted as someone who will only do a particular kind of movie, which is not true. I would love to do a comedy someday. Unfortunately, people don't seem to think that I am open to such roles", she added.
"I choose my films on how they affect me, whether it touches a chord in my heart. It doesn't bother me now that people say I am a serious actress," she said.
Das, who is here to participate in IFFI in connection with the screening of Marathi film Maati Maay (featuring her) directed by Chitra Palekar, however, is quick to admit that not all her films turn out to be as she imagines them to be.
"Sometimes a script can really touch you but the end- product is not how you expected it. What matters is that you do a film for the right reasons," Das, often referred to as the thinking man's beauty, said.
The actress is very excited about her forthcoming film, Santosh Sivand-directed Kerala, which she says is a drama, thriller and romance--all in one. While Maati Maay, based on a story by Mahashewta Devi, is Das' first Marathi film. She also forayed into Bengali and Telugu cinema this year.
"I do not choose my films on the basis of language. I choose them on the basis of story. I don't look at it as a Marathi film or a Telugu film," she noted.