GENRE BENDER

RASIKA DUGAL LOVES TO BREAK STEREOTYPES

- TANISHA BHATTACHARYA

Rasika Dugal does not naturally fall into the category of being the traditional film heroine and perhaps that is what distinguishes her from the pack. The actress, who normally gives off a very subdued tone off-screen, began her acting career with a modest part in the 2007 movie Anwar. One look at her portfolio reveals a variety of films like Aurangzeb (2013), Qissa (2013), and The Train Station (2015), to name a few. A few projects later, the critically praised movie Manto arrived, in which she co-starred with Nawazzuddin Siddiqui.

The limelight eventually shifted to her with her breakout performance in the phenomenally successful series Mirzapur in 2018, when she played Beena Tripathi, and the rest, as they say, is history. Six years later, Rasika Dugal is considered one of our finest talents. According to her, "her best is yet to come." With the third season of Mirzapur just around the corner, the actress is filled with gratitude for the audience's ability to propel a show to new heights. She gushes. "There’s not a day that goes by when people don’t ask me, ‘Mirzapur 3 kab aa raha hai’. It is very heartwarming and encouraging to be a part of a show that has made you connect with so many people and such a wide audience. In my career, Mirzapur is the show that has done that for me and I hope the audience never gives up on us.”

Looking at her, it's hard to fathom the fact that Rasika portrays a