Being an actress is a life learning process: Rohini Hattangadi at THE WEEK event
Rohini Hattangadi recalled that 'Saaransh' was a very emotionally challenging movie for her, saying the character of the 60-year-old mother just stayed with her long after the movie released
Veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi shared her insights at the One Trillion Dollar Maharashtra economy event, emphasizing that acting is a continuous learning process where understanding diverse characters enhances one's grasp of human psychology. She highlighted the significant technological advancements in Indian cinema, citing "Baahubali" as an example of homegrown high-end technology, and noted that global access via the internet allows for self-improvement in storytelling, technicalities, and acting. Hattangadi also expressed confidence that theatre will endure despite the rise of OTT platforms due to its live performance aspect, which offers a unique, more thought-provoking satisfaction. Reflecting on her own experiences, she described "Saaransh" as emotionally challenging due to portraying a significantly older character, and advised aspiring actors to prioritize proper training over glamour for long-term success in the demanding film industry.
Veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi shared her insights at the One Trillion Dollar Maharashtra economy event, emphasizing that acting is a continuous learning process where understanding diverse characters enhances one's grasp of human psychology. She highlighted the significant technological advancements in Indian cinema, citing "Baahubali" as an example of homegrown high-end technology, and noted that global access via the internet allows for self-improvement in storytelling, technicalities, and acting. Hattangadi also expressed confidence that theatre will endure despite the rise of OTT platforms due to its live performance aspect, which offers a unique, more thought-provoking satisfaction. Reflecting on her own experiences, she described "Saaransh" as emotionally challenging due to portraying a significantly older character, and advised aspiring actors to prioritize proper training over glamour for long-term success in the demanding film industry.
Veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi shared her insights at the One Trillion Dollar Maharashtra economy event, emphasizing that acting is a continuous learning process where understanding diverse characters enhances one's grasp of human psychology. She highlighted the significant technological advancements in Indian cinema, citing "Baahubali" as an example of homegrown high-end technology, and noted that global access via the internet allows for self-improvement in storytelling, technicalities, and acting. Hattangadi also expressed confidence that theatre will endure despite the rise of OTT platforms due to its live performance aspect, which offers a unique, more thought-provoking satisfaction. Reflecting on her own experiences, she described "Saaransh" as emotionally challenging due to portraying a significantly older character, and advised aspiring actors to prioritize proper training over glamour for long-term success in the demanding film industry.
For veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi, being an actress has been a life learning process for her because she had to impersonate different characters which have different levels of emotions.
“The character doesn't behave like me so I have to understand why she is or why the character is behaving like that. Through that, I get to know the psyche of a human and I can understand the person in front of me better,” remarked Hattangadi during a session at the One Trillion Dollar Maharashtra economy event organised by THE WEEK in Mumbai.
Hattangadi who is known for her remarkable character roles in movies such as Gandhi and Saaransh said that Indian directors and technical experts today have access to high-end technology which was earlier available only to western directors. Citing movies like Baahubali, she said, “Now high-end technology is developed here in India itself. Today due to the Internet, one has full access to Hollywood and world cinema. Today, we know where we stand and that's how we can improve ourselves. So now we are improving ourselves in the stories, in technicalities and even acting,” she remarked.
She also said that even in today’s world of OTTs, theatre will not die because it has live performances. “OTT doesn't give you the kind of satisfaction which a theatre gives. Going to a theatre involves watching a performance live. Theatre also makes you think more. At the same time people who have come directly to cinema or directly to OTT don’t sustain for very long. Most of the Hollywood actors have also come from theatre,” she pointed out.
Hattangadi recalled that Saaransh was a very emotionally challenging movie for her. “I was in my early 30s when I did this movie and I had to portray a 60-plus women. The character involved the women always longing for her son to return. There have been times when it has taken time for me to get out of a character even after when I returned from work. The character just stayed with me,” she recalled.
She also had an advice for many young people who wanted to do well in the film industry. “Don't come to the industry for glamour. It won't sustain you. You have to be trained properly as the industry is very demanding and in order to sustain and succeed in this profession, one should be properly trained,” said Hattangadi.