Riddhi Sen on working with Kajol: She’s humble, full of energy, minus starry airs

Bengali actor Riddhi Sen is excited about portraying the role of Kajol’s onscreen son in Pradeep Sarkar’s upcoming film Eela. Explaining their camaraderie, the 19-year-old National Award winner, who is celebrating his birthday today, says that not only is his bond with Kajol getting stronger but they have also become good friends. Interestingly, when Riddhi won the National Award for Best Actor for Kaushik Ganguly’s Nagarkirtan this year, Kajol was one of the first few to congratulate him with a tweet, saying, “My virtual son from Eela wins a national award for his Bengali film Nagarkirtan. Awesomesauce Riddhi Sen!”

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Ridhhi, who is touched by Kajol’s affection and support, says, “She was very excited when the National Awards were announced, and she even asked me to share both pre and post ceremony photos. She is so full of energy minus any starry airs and a fun person. We clicked well within the first days of shooting. Her smile is infectious.”

Eela, produced by actor and Kajol’s husband Ajay Devgn narrates the life of a single mother and aspiring singer and her relationship with her son. “When not shooting, she would give proper emotional cue to help me enact my part,” he says.

Meanwhile, Riddhi, basking in the glory of getting National Award, says life has changed. “Getting an award motivates you to work better. But at the same time, I’m still a young actor trying to give my best every day. I won’t let it get into my head. I met Shekhar [Kapur, chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards] a day before I collected the award [in Delhi] and he was like ‘You did not make a single mistake in the film, how is that possible?’. We had dinner. I couldn’t believe that it was happening,” says Riddhi, who portrayed a transgender in Nagarkirtan.

“I am indebted to Kaushik kaku [uncle] for trusting me with the role. The film changed my life and made me understand the issue of homosexuals much better — how people belonging to the community are looked down upon and the fact that they too deserve a better life. We are now planning to send the film to various festivals before releasing it in India,” Ridhhi signs off.

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