Lootcase is something which was missing in my basket of variety: Rasika Dugal

31/07/2020

Actor Rasika Dugal is happy that her film Lootcase is releasing on an OTT platform. The actor expects the film to “cheer people up and take away the sense of gloom for a bit.” In an exclusive conversation, Dugal spoke about working on a comedy film, how films releasing on OTT platforms changes the game in the industry and much more.
Excerpts from the conversation.
Lootcase trailer looks like so much fun. What can fans expect from the film?
I am pretty excited to know how people will respond to the film. I am happy that the film is releasing now because we are in a time where we need some humour to uplift all of us. I hope it will cheer people up and take away the sense of gloom for a bit.
And even though the film is in the comic space, it has a unique and quirky sense of humour, which belongs to the director Rajesh Krishnan. You speak to Rajesh for five minutes and you’ll know what I am talking about.
What would you have done if you’d gotten such a suitcase?
I think I would have done pretty much what my character has done in the film. My first instinct would be to suspect how all this happened and think of all the troubles it would get me into.
You are known as an actor who aces serious roles. Will working on this film break that image?
Whenever I take on a role, it is not motivated with an attempt to break an image. I look at it in terms of what am I learning from the part or how is it teaching me more about the way I do my work. In the case of Lootcase, I responded to the script very instinctively. When the script came to me, I was working on Delhi Crime season one, which was an emotionally immersive experience. I was looking for something lighthearted. Once Lootcase happened, retrospectively, I do think that it is something which was missing in my basket of variety.
Was comedy difficult for you?
Lootcase is possibly the first comedy I am involved with. However, what kept me on my toes during the shoot was Rajesh’s precise sense of timing, which was different from my other experiences. Within the comic space, there are different styles of storytelling. I don’t know if it is the toughest (comedy as a genre). I think every genre has its own challenges but in comedy, to translate the humour of the script on screen is quite challenging. Rajesh has done a fantastic job.
You had said that you share maximum screen space with Kunal Kemmu. He comes with a successful list of comedies. Did that help you to do your part?
The best thing a co-actor can do is just to be present in the scene. Kunal is very warm and very good to work with. And because he is so comfortable in his own skin, he made the environment comfortable for me too.
Apart from him, I think the child actor Aryan Prajapati has done a lovely job. He is great. Both of them were so good that the initial nerves I had about being in a role I had not done before, was taken care of.
The film is releasing on an OTT platform. What’s your feeling about it?
I am as excited about it as I would have been if it was releasing in theaters. A lot of my work is on OTT platforms. It has given me an opportunity to reach out to a wider audience.
Is it a relief that there are no box office concerns with films releasing on OTT?
I think a big change is the fact that the fate of a film is no longer dependent on a weekend. Also, there is no chasing of a number. OTT platforms encourage newness of content, which for an actor like me is beneficial. It is no more one film vs the other. It is your content against every other content across the OTT space. Something worked or not is decided over the span of a month or more. It sure is a game changer.
Also, with OTT, do you think there will be a change in the star system?
Today, it’s more about sense of relatability than sense of awe. Now, there are so many avenues to show your talent. When I started working in the industry, YouTube stars weren’t even heard of. But now, there are people who made their careers on the platform. There are people who make careers on Instagram and even TikTok. The star system has not collapsed. We just have multiple stars now.
Lootcase also stars Kunal Kemmu, Gajraj Rao and Ranvir Shorey. The film, directed by Rajesh Krishnan, will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from July 31 onwards.

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