For someone who is well-known in the film industry, Geetanjali Thapa's celluloid foray was not a splash. Her first film Tina Ki Chaabi, where she was cast opposite Ranvir Shorey, never released.
"I didn't know what to do next. But I decided to give acting a shot. So I moved to Mumbai and started auditioning for films and television commercials," says 29-year-old Thapa, who got the lead role in Kamal KM's ID (2012). Set in the backdrop of Mumbai streets, the film was a mystery story at its best and premiered at the Busan Film Festival (2012), bringing Thapa accolades and awards. Her third film, Geetu Mohandas's Liar's Dice (2013) dealt with migrant labourers and their exploitation. It was India's official entry at the 2014 Academy Awards and won her the 61st National Film Award for Best Actress.
Next, Thapa did two international projects – Tigers (2014), directed by Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, and Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic's Dev Bhoomi (2016). In Mumbai, she's acted in Vikramaditya Motwane's Trapped (2016), Onir's Kuch Bheege Alfaaz (2018) and Deb Medhekar's Bioscope (2018). While the last three projects have hit the big screens in the last 15 months, her earlier films, which premiered at the film festivals in Busan, Toronto, Sundance and Tokyo, haven't made it to Indian theatres.
"I am used to my films not releasing now," she says. "I wished more venues showed documentaries, international, independent and art house films. Though limited, there is an audience for it." Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime that screen independent content, however, bring her hope. ID and Liar's Dice are now available on Netflix, and Dev Bhoomi on Prime. This makes things easier for her at home too. "My parents shielded me from extended family who questioned my choices in life. They were extremely proud of me when I got the national award," says Thapa, a native of Sikkim, whose family loved watching Bioscopewala, based on Rabindranath Tagore's Kabuliwala.
With no experience in acting, Thapa credits her directors and writers for her performance. "For ID, I had to go through a over a month's rigorous rehearsals. Kamal, taught me a lot about filmmaking. And so did Madhu Neelakandan, the cinematographer. They taught me various technical things camera, art, sound, etc. Geetu Mohandas guided me through every step of Liar's Dice. Every film has helped me understand myself and the craft better," she says, adding that all her roles have been author-backed ones. "For Minnie Basu (in Bioscopewala), I knew her life, how she thought, her insecurities, her happy place, her past, regrets... This really helped me understand the characters and portray them better." Other than Noorie, Rajkumar Rao's girlfriend in Trapped, and Archana, the lead character of Kuch Bheege Alfaaz, who has vitiligo and lives life to the fullest, most of her roles have been intense.
"It wasn't a conscious decision to do intense roles," says Thapa, who admits to being typecast despite being open to commercial Bollywood roles if they prove exciting. "I think I was labelled before I even realised it. Thankfully, there are directors like Onir who are giving me an opportunity to portray different kinds of characters."
Thapa, however, has no complaints. Asked what she would have done if not acting, Thapa says, "Probably, I would still be figuring it out." On the work front, she will be next seen in a small role in Sacred Games on Netflix and is looking forward to her films, Painting Life by Bijukumar Damodaran, and Stray Dolls by Sonejuhi Sinha, currently in post-production. Hopefully, they'll make it to the big screen in India.
