Global star Nitu Chandra is firmly embedded in her native soil

Raghib Hassan, Staff Reporter

Actress Nitu Chandra Srivastava made her debut in Hollywood through “Never Back Down: Revolt” and has created her mark in Bollywood with films such as “Garam Masala,” “Traffic Signal,” “One Two Three,” “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye,” “Apartment” and “13B” among others. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (Oct.2), Nitu launched her film production house, Champaran Talkies Studios, in Abu Dhabi. Choosing the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti to launch her international venture was a very deliberate decision. Her initiative is a tribute to the Father of the Nation (India), who had started his Satyagraha from Champaran in Bihar State in 1917 against the British Empire.

Talking to Gulf Today, Nitu said: “The sole aim of the studio in Abu Dhabi is to produce international movies that appeal to a global audience. Champaran Talkies Studio will have an all-woman team who can be instrumental in producing quality content and pave the way for women in a male-dominated industry. “All the films will be shot in Abu Dhabi, for sure. My all-woman production house will be headed by women only. All the department heads will be managed by women. This is all about women empowerment, but it does not mean that I won’t work with men.”

When asked to reveal what is the type of content expected from her house, she said: “I am looking for doing inspirational films from Saudi Arabia, South East Asia, Middle East, UK and America.

“There are so many inspirational stories in this part of the world! Champaran Talkies Studios is already in talks with script writers from different parts of the world and will soon be finalising the projects.” One of the most versatile Bollywood actors of her generation, Srivastava is a powerhouse of talent. Having worked in more than twenty Bollywood films, she also considers herself lucky to have worked in many South Indian language films as well, such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. She feels blessed to have shared screen space with megastars of South Indian cinema like Prithviraj, R. Madhavan and Nagarjuna. Apart from working in the Indian film industry, Nitu has also worked in Korean, Greek and Hollywood films: she is equally popular outside India and is a face of global cinema. Not many people know that when girls of her age were pondering what to do, she had already represented India thrice in Taekwondo Championships. Born and brought up in Patna, Bihar, her cinematic journey is an inspiration for many. Her success could be a motivation for all those who want to be heard and seen on the screen. Despite achieving so much at the national and international level, Nitu remains humble and level headed. Her affection for her home State has never diminished, even for a moment. And that’s why she, along with her brother Nitin Chandra, established Champaran Talkies in 2010. Together, they make movies in the language spoken in Bihar. Talking further about her production house, she said: “We make films in the languages of Bihar such as Magahi, Bhojpuri and Maithili.”

Their movie “Mithila Makhaan” (in the Maithili language) is the first-ever film from Bihar to get a National Award. It was directed and produced by Nitin. They received much appreciation for “Deswa” also, which was produced by Champaran Talkies. It was a Bhojpuri language film, written and directed by Nitin. Nitu confessed that “we don’t connect with the kind of films coming from Bihar. Since we come from there, we also don’t know how to leave our mother tongue and our mother. That’s why we are making meaningful cinema and want to create a positive image of Bihar.”

“I have done more than 20 commercial Bollywood films and done Korean, Greek and Hollywood films too,” she continued, “I have also received an award from former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. I have also represented Indian in three championships in Taekwondo — but I still choose to produce films related to my roots. I feel proud to be a Bihari and I owe my success to my roots.”

Sharing her experience of working in Hollywood she said: “Since I am a Blackbelt Four Dan in Taekondo, I got the opportunity to work in the fourth edition of “Never Back Down: Revolt.” It was amazing, working with Kellie Madison.” When asked to comment on the rise of OTT platforms, the Bollywood star said: “OTT platform is not only a hope, but is a revolution. It is evolving and is opening the world as a platform for artists. Every artist is supposed to be working now.”

Having worked in national and international cinema, Nitu is quite happy with her cinematic journey. “I started Bollywood when I was 17,” she said. “Working in Bollywood or Hollywood is not a criterion at all. I have also worked in Greek and doing Korean films. The idea is not to do a language film. It is to do a good film, no matter what the language is. “See, Bollywood is going through a tough time,” she pointed out. “So many films have flopped in the past few months. Therefore, they need to be very careful about the content now.” When asked to give a slice of advice to young actors, she said: “You need to work on every aspect of being an artist. Just looking pretty is not enough.”