Actress Rasika Dugal has opened up about a pivotal chapter in her professional journey, crediting the 2018 biographical drama 'Manto' — directed by Nandita Das — with rescuing her career from a difficult phase. Speaking in a recent interview, Dugal reflected on two roles that defined her trajectory: Beena Tripathi in the crime drama 'Mirzapur' and Safiya, the wife of celebrated Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, in the eponymous biopic.

What 'Manto' Gave Her as an Artist

Dugal was candid about the distinct impact each role had on her life. 'Beena has given me fame, a wide audience and also a box-office hit,' she said. 'Safiya will always be very important in my life because I think it is a story about a celebrated writer.' For the actress, the significance of playing Safiya went beyond professional milestones — it was about being part of a story that refused to sideline a woman's perspective.

She noted that 'Manto' stood apart from conventional biopics by consciously making space for Safiya's inner world, rather than reducing her to a supporting presence behind a famous husband. 'While narrating his story, the film does not ignore his wife's story. That was the director's intention,' Dugal said, crediting Nandita Das as 'a sensitive director' and praising her own experience of working alongside a cast that treated Safiya as a fully realised character.

Women's Stories in Male-Centric Narratives

Dugal used her reflection on 'Manto' to raise a broader point about how cultural memory tends to favour stories of men while erasing those of women. 'Manto has been written about and narrated so much. Sometimes it happens that we remember the stories of men and forget the stories of women,' she observed. She added that she felt a particular pride in being part of a film that consciously resisted that erasure. 'That film did not do that. I feel very proud about it,' she said.

The observation carries resonance in the context of Indian cinema's expanding — if still uneven — engagement with women's lives inside male-dominated stories. 'Manto' was notable at the time of its release for placing Safiya at the emotional centre of a narrative that could easily have been a straightforward literary hagiography.

Mirzapur Success and What's Next

Dugal is currently riding the wave of the recently released 'Mirzapur 2', in which she reprises her role as Beena Tripathi. The series features an ensemble cast that includes Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, among others. The show has drawn significant viewership since its release, reinforcing Dugal's standing as one of the more versatile performers in Hindi streaming content.

With 'Mirzapur 2' drawing audiences and her candid reflections on 'Manto' resonating with conversations about representation in Indian cinema, Rasika Dugal's career arc continues to be one of the more quietly compelling stories in contemporary Hindi entertainment.