After playing the tough and endearing Safia in Nandita Das’ Manto earlier this year, Rasika Dugal seems to have picked up a nous for tragic characters. The actress will next be seen alongside Pankaj Tripathi in the Amazon Prime Original series, Mirzapur. To bring a certain authenticity to her character, Dugal seems to have tapped the style of the ultimate tragic icon, Meena Kumari.
In Mirzapur, Dugal plays Beena Tripathi, wife to the dreaded gangster Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi). The series is set to be launched on the digital platform on 16 November. The actress’ portrayal of a daring, ambitious and desirable woman seems to have caught the audiences’ eye. Particularly owing to its similarity with Meena Kumari’s look from the film, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
The actress concurred of the similarities between the two characters. She said, “Meena Kumari was a legend and Choti Bahu in Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam is one of my favourite performances in Indian cinema. She defined sultry in the most classy way. With Beena too, a lot more is happening than meets the eye though in a very different way. I’m happy with the way the look has turned out and [I’m] excited for people to watch the series.”
Mirzapur also features Vikrant Massey, Divyenndu Sharma, and Ali Fazal in key roles. The series is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, and created by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna. The series will be directed by Gurmmeet Singh.