Rita is a woman of many hats.An individual of resilience,a person of ironclad commitment and a vociferous learner.She is a coveted Chartered Accountant by qualification,a well known real estate business woman of the country as well an astounding speaker.She is an accomplished Classical pianist and acclaimed actress.She has won awards nationally and internationally as a actress.Her notable works are “NOTES TO A LOVER FROM JENNY ADAM AND HER BEAUTIFUL FAMILY”,”DEATH OF SPRING”,”DREAMS AND RHAPSODY OF GOD”,”JOM DUARE ROMONI KOTHA”,”GRASSAN/ L’OSCURITA DEL DIO SOLE”,”MOHAKAAL O KAALKUT”,”NAISARGIK SABDO/PONTE VERSO L’ETERNITÀ”,”GLORIOUS DEAD”,She is the co-founder of NEZ GROUP and NEZ MOVING PIXELS and Chairperson of NEZ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.She is a rising talent and artist globally.
Q. 1. Rita, you balance careers in finance, real estate, music, acting, and entrepreneurship. How has your training as a Chartered Accountant shaped your creative and business decisions?
I completed my articleship with Price Waterhouse, one of the largest and most respected Chartered Accountancy firms. My training as a Chartered Accountant taught me to go deep into any subject—analyzing it thoroughly, questioning it, and reading beyond what is immediately available. This discipline demands patience, strong analytical ability, innovation, focus, and imagination. It laid a solid foundation for my thinking and continues to support all my pursuits—whether in music, acting, or business decisions—by enabling me to think clearly, quickly, and with depth.
Q. 2. As an award-winning actress with nationally and internationally recognized works like Death of Springand Glorious Dead, how do you choose roles that align with your artistic vision?
For me, no role is big or small—it is the character that truly matters. As an artist, cinema has given me the rare privilege of living many lives within one lifetime. Human beings possess countless shades, and I believe each of them exists within us, either visible or dormant. When a role is offered to me, I try to connect it with one of these shades within myself, and that connection guides my choice. I also reflect on how the character resonates with my thoughts and inner being, and how it mirrors or questions the society we live in.
Q. 3. You are both a classical pianist and an acclaimed actress. How does music influence your approach to acting and storytelling?
Playing music definitely helps me in acting, and acting, in turn, enriches my relationship with music — the two are deeply connected and complementary for me. Music has taught me the true meaning of focus – the silence between two notes, the rhythm, and the pauses. These elements quietly shape my understanding of a character. Every character has a rhythm of its own, and the pauses between dialogues are often as powerful as the words themselves. This connection between music and performance feels deeply organic to me.
Playing the piano demands immense patience and concentration. It allows me to disconnect from the world around me, and in that stillness, I find clarity. That state of complete immersion directly supports my work as an actor. Practice brings precision, and precision, in turn, allows spontaneity — something essential in front of the camera.
When I play a character, I forget Rita. I go deep within myself and connect the character’s essence with my own, whether that shade is visible or dormant. Music becomes my guide in this journey, allowing me feel, breathe, and live the character truthfully.
Q. 4. What inspired you to co-found NEZ Group and NEZ Moving Pixels, and how do these platforms support emerging talent in the global creative industry?
My mentor, Sir Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar, whom I fondly call Sirji—and who is known to the world as SRS—has been the guiding force behind the formation of the NEZ Group. His vision and inspiration led me to create a production house, NEZ Moving Pixels, and a cultural foundation, NEZ Foundations of which he is a founder and I am a co-founder.
NEZ Moving Pixels is dedicated to cinema-making. We have recently ventured into Vertical Series and are preparing to launch Web Series very soon. Through NEZ Foundations, we promote cinema—especially independent filmmakers—through the NEZ International Film Festival, which is now in its 11th year.
We also curate a second film festival, NEZ Magic Lantern, which exclusively showcases European Cinema. We deeply believe in bringing powerful, meaningful European films to our country, and this initiative is the first of its kind in India. Beyond cinema, we actively promote emerging artists, particularly painters, and are soon launching our own ART Festival.
It was nearly 15 years ago when I first met SRS. His philosophy, his vast and ocean-like knowledge of the arts—cinema, literature, painting—and his deeply spiritual self, profoundly shaped my life. He became the fuel for my transformation. I strongly felt that such wisdom and vision should reach the world, and that realization became the foundation of the NEZ Group.
The world is filled with immense talent—actors, musicians, dancers, painters, writers, poets—and we firmly believe in bringing these talents to the forefront. Our journey as independent filmmakers has not been easy. We have faced rejection, humiliation, and even cheating. Yet every hardship strengthened us and pushed us to do something meaningful. That is why we began film festivals, art festivals, and cultural platforms—to give voice and visibility to those who are talented but unseen.
We believe that when given the right opportunity, true talent—combined with honesty, passion, hard work, and innovation—will always rise.
Q. 5. As Chairperson of the NEZ International Film Festival, what do you look for in films that truly resonate with you and the festival’s mission?
Innovation, creativity, and originality deeply resonate with me and lie at the very core of our festival’s mission. For us, no creation is small or big; what truly sets a film apart is its originality, sensibility, and the seamless blend of all its elements — story, screenplay, dialogue, shot-taking, cinematography, performances, music, and colour palettes. It is this harmony that transforms a film into an experience beyond just cinema.
As a production house and through our festival, we strongly believe that the concept is the real hero of a film. Everything else supports it — yet the thoughtful blending of all these aspects remains an essential ingredient in creating meaningful and impactful cinema.
