📌 Key Points
- Divya Dutta challenges the ‘supporting actor’ label, emphasizing her roles’ significance.
- She advocates for recognition as an actor, seeking character-driven roles beyond romantic interests.
- Dutta highlights her filmography showcasing pivotal and diverse roles, avoiding typecasting.
- She stars in ‘Chiraiya’ on JioHotstar, a social drama addressing marital rape awareness.
Divya Dutta is pushing back against the ‘supporting actor’ categorization, asserting that she chooses roles based on their impact, not their perceived importance to the lead. She emphasizes her desire for versatile and meaningful characters in film.
Dutta’s Stand Against Typecasting
Actor Divya Dutta says she doesn’t agree with the “supporting actor” label, adding that she has consistently chosen roles that challenge the conventional definitions of “lead” and “supporting” characters.
“I am an actor, and I would like to be called so. A few years back, it (categorisation) was a slightly strange concept. Now it’s a given. (At times) it’s like, ‘Okay, I want to do a character-driven role. I’m okay romancing the hero, but I also want to do more than just be a dumb character,” she said.
During the conversation, she also questioned the long-standing belief that roles not driven by romance or the traditional hero narrative are automatically labelled as “supporting” parts.
Choosing Roles Beyond Romance
Divya shared, “Just because I wasn’t romancing the hero, didn’t (automatically) mean that I was ‘supporting’ somebody. I’m not here to support anyone. I support myself. I would like to play an antagonist, I would like to do some comedy, I would like to be the main lead in a film. I would like to do a smaller role but the most significant. If you see my filmography, my roles have been the best roles in the film and the most pivotal to the story.”
Reflecting on her early years in the industry, Divya said that not being boxed into a fixed image or label actually worked to her advantage. While many actors strive to cultivate a distinct screen persona, she chose to embrace the uncertainty instead. She mentioned that people didn’t know where she belonged, and she loved that feeling because she didn’t want an image. She wanted to do everything.
‘Chiraiya’: Dutta’s New Social Drama
Next, Divya is set to feature in drama series Chiraiya, which will release on JioHotstar on March 20. Produced by SVF Entertainment, the six-episode series is directed by Shashant Shah and also features Sanjay Mishra. It is described as a “powerful social drama aiming to raise awareness and highlight the necessity of a mindset shift regarding the critical topic of marital rape in India.”
The series revolves around the life of Kamlesh (Divya), the ideal daughter-in-law of a close-knit family, whose seemingly stable world begins to shatter when she discovers that her sister-in-law Pooja is facing sexual abuse within her marriage. As difficult truths begin to unfold, Kamlesh finds herself torn between protecting her family’s honour and standing up for what is right. The series also feature Siddharth Shaw, Prasanna Bisht, Faisal Rashid, Tinnu Anand, Sarita Joshi and Anjum Saxena.
Divya Dutta continues to redefine her roles, choosing projects that challenge conventions and spark important conversations. Her upcoming series, ‘Chiraiya,’ promises to further showcase her commitment to impactful storytelling and social change.
