After she got the script of Fatafati, Ritabhari Chakraborty decided to put on weight — and quite a lot of that — to play a small-town girl on the heavier side whose talent gets overshadowed by her size for everyone. Ritabhari shares with us her journey of physical transformation and why Fatafati is actually about triumphing over one’s insecurities.

Fatafati is receiving a fantastic response at the theatres…

Ritabhari Chakraborty: Yes! My character Phullora is being appreciated by everyone. I’ve been getting emotional and overwhelming responses and audiences are in tears after watching the film. People are coming up to me and hugging me during hall visits. This is probably the biggest review and reward I got for the film.

What about the character you play? A tailor from the suburbs with a gift for design is ridiculed for being on the heavier side…

Ritabhari Chakraborty: Fatafati tells the stories of women and people who feel excluded by society for not looking a certain way. Phullora is a girl next-door. Phullora is someone we all know. We all have that one friend and one person in our family who’s on the heavier side for several reasons — health issues, genetics. That is the body they live in and they are ridiculed constantly.

Phullora is a very talented tailor and designer. She designs her outfits. She draws the designs and makes the outfits herself. But she is a tailor; there’s no such thing as a designer in a small town. Eventually her journey takes her to becoming a fashion influencer because she has to put the clothes on someone and nobody agrees. She makes clothes for heavier people, her friends. That’s the beauty and size she understands. She’s aware of how to make things look beautiful. That’s when the turn comes in her life because she dresses up beautifully to put her clothes out there and that becomes a journey of its own.

You put on 25kg for the film. Take us through the journey.

Ritabhari Chakraborty: Fatafati is about a plus-size person, so I had to look plus-size. I had gained weight after my surgery but I was still not plus-size. I was just on the heavier side. When the script came to me, I was asked to gain 20 kilos more. I decided to go for it rather than lose a few kilos. There was a lot more to gain from the film than just the weight. This film is bigger than me, bigger than any size. This film is literally all our voices someway or the other. Our tagline ‘Amader jibanta motamoti noy fatafati’ (our life is not mediocre but awesome) means different things for different people. The film is not just body-related, it somehow triumphs over your insecurities.

You were trolled heavily on social media for gaining weight. How did you deal with the negativity?

Ritabhari Chakraborty: I responded to quite a few, saying that I had surgery and I gained six kilos and was bedridden for six months. I consider my fanbase my own people. I felt like it was important to address them about what had happened. People who truly loved me were sympathetic and supportive. It’s not a crime that I gained weight after two surgeries. People who troll and say negative stuff, there’s no help for them. They are going to write bad things no matter what. Even when I was super skinny, I had heard comments like, ‘You’re so skinny, your hands are gonna break. Men like flesh, not bones.’ Well, you cannot make everyone happy. Actors will get trolled for whatever they do or however they do it.

I feel trolling is not done by people anymore, it’s done by media houses. If there’s one negative comment on my social media, I’ve seen editorial teams picking it up and making a whole news out of it. If you encourage them, they will spread more negativity.

You are paired opposite Abir Chatterjee for the first time. How has the experience been?

Ritabhari Chakraborty: Abirda is a very sincere person, a sincere actor and a great human being. I think the audience has enjoyed our chemistry. That was only possible because of the comfort level and space I shared with Abirda. It has been a beautiful journey. Phullora and Bachashpati have been a couple in my heart for the longest period of time. I don’t think Bengali cinema has had such a simple love story in a long time. They are not larger than life but very relatable.

You completed 14 years in the industry…

Ritabhari Chakraborty: There are so many things I learnt and so many things I had to unlearn. I am grateful for the love of the audience and I made sure that I keep serving them.

What’s coming up for you next?

Ritabhari Chakraborty: I am shooting the film Aponjon with Jeetu Kamal. I’ll be shooting in London this month. I just shot a song with Nikhita Gandhi opposite Chintan Rachchh.