National award for playback won't change my calling: Rupa

Recording her song for a film after long 12 years, Rupa said she was more focused on acting than singing and wondered what convinced the national award authorities to pick her up.

"The song seemed to feel good more because of the visuals, which created the mood, than the quality of my singing," Rupa told PTI.

The 45-year-old actress said her voice was not in proper shape due to back to back shooting and there were far more worthy contenders for the award.

"There were many other contenders who did a better job in other films, I guess," Rupa said at a meet to promote the film, which released today.

The actress said the director and the script-writer were insistent that none but she could do the playback part and for her part she was determined not to bite the bullet.

"I felt like telling them, 'have you all turned mad'? But ultimately I had to give in. They were all so insistent," Rupa recalled.

Probably they were inspired by Rituparno Ghosh who, she said, made her sing in full throated voice in the film 'Bariwali' where she had played the character of a heroine present in a shooting.

She, however, said she could deliver with proper practise and musical accompaniment as she had brought out a solo Rabindrasangeet album in the past.

"It was Rituparno who first made me sing my own number without any musical accompaniment in a film, but he was already a known name at that time unlike Aditi, the director of Abosheshe," she said. (MORE)