Tripti Dimri: Bulbbul put me back in the game

Tripti Dimri

In Netflix's supernatural drama Bulbul, Tripti Dimri effortlessly slipped into the complex role of the titular character - a woman silently breaking free from the shackles of patriarchy. Her performance, both understated and enigmatic, has won her a nomination in the Best Actress (Film) category for the Mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. In a chat with mid-day, Dimri recounts how she cracked the character with ample help from her director Anvita Dutt. "Actors should have the luxury of making mistakes and Anvita allowed me the safe space to slip. We built the character brick by brick for two months. Discussing backstories, finding the right pulse was important for this character. I did read a few books including Jorasanko on Tagore's life to familiarise myself with the Bengali culture."

A large part of Bulbul's strength came from her sense of calm, and that body language was important to create that enigma around her. "I researched about child brides and understood the emotional ramifications on them. There was a realisation that women across the globe are going through hell everyday because of lack of access to education and monetary security. The research was heartbreaking bit by bit. Bulbul is a victim in many ways and the research helped me build the suffocation she was living through, being trapped in a marriage she didn't want. If you realise, all the dialogues are questions. Till she becomes a witch, she is constantly taking permissions. I was dreading some of the scenes from script level - the sexual assault scene and the scene of domestic violence. Anvita's brief for the scene was that she wanted to see life getting out of my body. Her faith in me inspired me to do my best. Full credit to Rahul (Bose) who was the best co-actor I could have had who made me really comfortable. After every cut he would sit next to me and distract me. Anvita after take would hug me and cry. I was so protected while shooting this film and that's exactly how the scenes were shot. These scenes were the turning point for the film. After the rape scene, I bawled for 20 minutes straight."

The actress concedes Bulbul put her back on the map after 2018's Laila Majnu failed to create the frenzy it should have given the critical acclaim that came its way. "It put me back in the game. As an actor, one only wants to be taken seriously. Now when I meet people, they view me with greater respect. There are great offers coming my way. I am weighing in things and looking for roles that will challenge me more. I am doing another film with Anvita again. I am so excited because it's as challenging as Bulbul."

Did you know?
Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary also worked together in Laila Majnu (2018).

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards
Tripti Dimri has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female): Film category for Bulbbul. The other nominees are:
>> Radhika Apte: Raat Akeli Hai (Netflix)
>> Saiyami Kher: Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai (Netflix)
>> Tillotama Shome: Chintu Ka Birthday (Zee5)
>> Janhvi Kapoor: Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (Netflix)
>> Vidya Balan: Shakuntala Devi (Amazon Prime Video)

Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on February 9.