Dipannita Sharma talks to Darpan Mago about her not-so-glamorous role in horror film Pizza, her training in film, theatre and modelling shaping her skills
Pizza,the remake of a Tamil film by Bejoy Nambiar, will star Dipannita Sharma as a female lead and it is a “rare not-so-glamorous” role for the model-actor. She says that the horror film will reveal her unfashionable side. She says, “This is my first horror film. I didn’t think about how I look in the movie. There was no fancy make-up, no fashionable dresses and I also didn’t get to wear nice shoes. I was required to act real, with different expressions, something that I have never attempted in my career before. I was to emote in a unique way and this could only be achieved through different acting techniques. Bringing out that raw look on my face was challenging.”
She adds, “The treatment of the plot is different than usual Hindi horror movies. It is a remake of a Tamil film but the director, Akshay Akkineni, suggested me not to watch the original and form any perceptions. The filmmakers wanted a fresh approach and maintaining newness is a constant challenge. There are some scenes where I was hung on a wall for hours. This was done to maintain the continuity. My role isn’t a stereotypical one and has been physically strenuous. It was a challenge in itself to take up the role and fulfill the character requirements. There are so many twists and turns in the story that the audiences are sure to enjoy the movie.”
The actress is a huge fan of horror films and has been watching a lot of them since her early days. “I have been a big lover of horror movies, so much so that my mother often interrupted me. My favourites are Japanese and Korean ones. I have watched Ju-On and Ring, both are Japanese and I love the way in which they’re made,” she says. Dipannita was a student of History at Indraprastha College for Women in Delhi University and always wanted to be a model. The actress says, “I have always loved modelling and even while I was doing movies, I never stopped modelling. Modelling has a live audience and you simply have to maintain the composure even if anything goes wrong. There are shoe and dress slips, despite all this you have to put up a confident face and stand tall before the people. I have also done theatre and tried my hand at ad films. Both in a way have given me hands on experience to face the camera. My mother and nani both wrote plays and I often performed their works while at school and college. I never had plans to become an actor but becoming a model was always a cherished dream.”
Dipannita is also working on a new film titled Take it Easy. She plays the role of a mother and a homemaker. It deals with urban pressures, which parents and children often go through in their lives.