Was advised not to do small roles initially, says Rasika Dugal

Actor Rasika Dugal says there came a point when she accepted any and every role that came her way. Dugal, who began her feature film career with the 2007 movie Anwar, became one of the early household names in the streaming universe with Mirzapur, Delhi Crime, and Out of Love.

Dugal says that she didn't have a particular type of role in mind when she started off, having graduated from FTII, Pune. She said, "Of course, when I came to Bombay, I wouldn't really say that I came with one kind of a role in mind, because you can't come with that. Especially because you're starting out, you can't come with that. So I pretty much did whatever it was. At that time, I was told not to do small parts, to do only the big ones. But I said, 'You know, that's not how I'm going to introduce myself to people, except through what I will do. So if I get smaller parts in the beginning of my career, I'll take them. Thanks for the advice, but I'll make it my own journey. I'll play it my own way.' So that's what I did. I got bigger parts after that. It took time, but happened."

Dugal, as seen in films like Manto, Hamid, Tu Hai Mera Sunday and Lootcase, has credited the OTT boom for changing the graph of her career. "I had an opportunity to do so many kinds of roles. In 2018, I had four releases, which was the beginning of a good phase in my career. There was 'Manto' and shortly after that there was Beena Tripathi in 'Mirzapur', which was completely different from that. Then, there was Neeti Singh, who is a cop, in 'Delhi Crime'," she said.

While Dugal enjoys the experience of immersive watching in a cinema hall, she says, "Streaming has made lives easier. This kind of viewing is more in sync, I think, with the kind of lives we lead these days, since people are always strapped for time. It has happened because of the way we live nowadays, and because there's a certain kind of accessibility to it, which is nice. I also slightly romanticize the other kind of captive sort of viewing, which is the theatrical viewing-where it is no noise and there is no disturbance, you're in a dark space, and watching it with other people around. It's like a community viewing where people's responses affect what you feel about what you are watching. It is both very different experiences, and it will be both here to stay.

Dugal's latest OTT release is *Shekhar Home*, a web-series based on Sherlock Holmes, starring Kay Kay Menon. She plays Iraboty, her character inspired by Irene Adler from the book. "I play this character called Iraboti, who is the only one who can match Shekhar's wits in this world. There's a very interesting camaraderie between them, where there is a hint of romance and there's a curiosity," she said.

Her film Little Thomas recently had its world premiere at the 15th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The '90s-set comedy-drama features Dugal as Jessie, mother to the title character who so desperately wants a baby brother. Dugal spoke enthusiastically about the experience of working with Devaiah and said, "It's a beautiful and simple film. I have known Gulshan for a very long time. We kinda started our careers at the same time and we know so many people in common. It was nice to finally get an opportunity to work with him."