Between career breaks and some critically acclaimed roles, Chitrangda Singh has always chosen what brings her peace. In this conversation, she opens up about personal choices, professional learnings, and the joy of raising her son.

‘When I see some of my old films, I feel I could have done much better’

The actress is honest and realistic when it comes to analysing her own work, performances and choice of roles. She says, “When I see some of my old films, I say… damn, I just threw away the opportunity when I could have pulled it off in much better way. I felt like in some parts of Baazaar, I could have explored the character more. Slowly, you understand that what’s on the paper is not the character that you are supposed to play. The script is your guideline, but acting is beyond that. I worked much harder on Gaslight (on OTT), where I worked on the tone of the voice, the way she looked and moved.”



‘I didn’t like my performance in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3’

Chitrangda mentions that after working on Modern Love Mumbai with Arshad Warsi, she learned to engage more deeply with her characters. “I was lucky to have Sudhir (Mishra) direct most of my films (like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Yeh Saali Zindagi and Inkaar). The characters that I played in them are memorable. I also took away a lot from Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3, because I did not like my performance at all. Jo paper pe tha maine wohi kiya. As an actor, I should have worked harder in fleshing out the character. For me, that film is a very good example of what not to do. I wanted to hide under a bed when I watched it while dubbing for it. After watching Saheb, Biwi… I worked harder,” she admits. Does she wish she had done more work? “Yes, I would want to do more work for sure, and I do feel that I should have done more work. A lot of people think that I am too choosy, but that’s not the case,” she explains.

‘I’ve no regrets about the breaks I took in my career’

Many believe that she’s based out of Delhi, however, the actress clarifies that she lives in Mumbai for work and shuttles between both cities, as her family lives in the capital. “People ask me, ‘Do you live in Mumbai or Delhi?’ So, let me put this out here that I live in Mumbai. Many people have family living in other cities, and you keep going back all the time, which I do, too,” she says.



‘Raising a child never felt like an effort’

When asked about raising her son, Zorawar (17), she says, “So many women are doing it. I don’t think I’m this one special case that it needs to be glorified. I don’t think it’s been tough, honestly. Emotionally, yes, it’s tough. But otherwise, I have the means to manage things, and I’m grateful for that. Raising my son has been the most beautiful part of my life. It never felt like an effort. I think that’s the one thing that keeps me rooted and keeps me happy no matter what. Everything else feels like a bonus because you have something which is so beautiful in your life anyway.”