Be it Delhi Crime, A Suitable Boy and Mirzapur, or Out of Love, Rasika Dugal is one of the first rate actors who completely invests herself in every role she takes on. It’s an attribute that seamlessly reflects in the fluidity that she brings to each character on screen. The actor has done it again with her recently a limited series of four 10-minute episodes on her home state — Postcards from Jharkhand — for National Geographic India.
Talking about the vibrant culture of her home state, Dugal says that shooting for the show brought back a lot of vivid memories. “It was a complete joy when I found out that National Geographic India had approached me to do this show. I have a strong association to Jharkhand. I grew up in Jamshedpur and my parents still live there. So the show gave me a chance to embark on an adventure to explore and re-connect with my homeland,” she told News18.
Reminiscing her childhood days that she spent in Jamshedpur, the Lootcase actor confesses that even she hadnt’t explored the state before she shot for the show. “It’s really strange that whenever we decided to go for holidays it would be Kolkata or Bhubaneswar, Puri or Darjeeling. I would sometimes feel bad that I haven’t really explored my own state. When the makers approached me for the show, it was almost like a wishlist that became true.”
There were a lot of unexplored places, cultures and even some interesting delicacies that the actor explored through the show. She said, “I had always heard of sohrai art but wasn’t much aware of it it. Here, I saw the artform in its rawest form in a village where women do it on the mud walls of their hut during a certain festival. I met Justin (Imam) and his wife Alka who are doing some phenomenal work to preserve it.. I met Aruna Tetke who is trying to bring tribal food into the mainstream. For the first time, I ate futkal, something I never knew not even know existed all across the state. I visited the Betla National Park, ate at Ajam Emba tribal restaurant, and even visited the Hundru waterfall. There are so many hidden gems that are worth exploring.”
On the work front, the actor has recently started shooting for Mirzapur 3. Dugal says she is excited to back on the show, “I can’t reveal much but I have always been elated to work on Mirzapur. It was a delight to reunite with a cast who are all so talented. Gurmeet (Singh) is directing us in this season too. It’s reassuring to have a director who knows the characters and the world of the story in and out.”
