Acting my first love but passionate about writing: Deepti Naval

Kolkata, Apr 7 (PTI) Veteran actress Deepti Naval said though acting remains her first love but she is also passionate about writing.

Naval whose ‘A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir’ has been received well by readers after publication last year, said she mulls to take up writing again in next two months time.

The 71-year-old India born US citizen, who came to the city to attend a poetry book launch of a young woman told PTI on Wednesday night that she thought one may need some urge, some compulsion to finish off her writing.

“I had been writing the memoirs for 20 years but couldn’t finish. But in the year and half of lockdown, the situation compelled me to sit and write,” she explained.

Asked if she would love to take up writing again, Naval said “yes I would start writing immediately in next two months. I hope there will not be another pandemic. And no more quarantine time. I would have to squeeze more quality time, me time rather to finish it off.”

Naval, who had acted in cult classics like ‘Chasme Buddoor’, ‘Katha’, ‘Freaky Chakra’, ‘Ankahee’ to name a few, said she would love to do more webseries which have come up during the current phase of her 45-year old career.

“Yes I have thoroughly enjoyed working in web series. As an actor I am open to work with both formats (film and web series),” she elaborated.

Naval had turned up in the part two of web series Criminal Justice : Behind closed doors apart from few others.

The Chasme Buddoor actor, who had also etched memorable roles in NH 10, ‘Yatra’, ‘Firaaq’, ‘Rang Rasiya’ to name a few, recalled her experience to work in Memories in March, a 2010 film directed by Sanjay Nag with screenplay by late Rituparno Ghosh.

“It was a memorable experience for me. Working with Ritu and Sanjay. And I must talk about the music of that film which was composed by none other than Debu (Debajyoti Mishra.) I felt happy to meet Debu here at this programme,” she gushed.

Asked about her experience to work in upcoming Mother Teresa and Me, where she portrayed an important character, Naval said “will talk about that after two weeks.”

Naval came to the city to attend launch of the book ‘Barefoot on Splintered Glass’ by young Bengali poet Ananya Chatterjee.