#TheExtaOrdiNAARIs: Ritabhari Chakraborty opens up about her mother, who left her alcoholic husband to raise two young kids alone | Exclusive

On International Women's Day, actress Ritabhari Chakraborty admitted that her mother Satarupa Sanyal is her ‘role model’. In a video for OTTplay, she explained how her mother has been her inspiration in life. The Pari-actress also talked about how her mother raised her and her sister Chitrangada Satarupa singlehandedly away from their ‘alcoholic’ father. Ritabhari is known to be vocal about women’s rights. Not only she champions body positivity through her works and campaigns, but she also speaks up against online trolling and challenges dogmas attached to women in society. 

In the video, Ritabhari said, “The person who inspired me the most is my mother, Satarupa Sanyal. She inspired me not just as a woman but also as a human being. I don’t understand why it is so important to differentiate between a man and a woman. I cannot think of another person other than my mother who has influenced my life so profoundly or another person who can be a role model in my life.”

Ritabhari’s parents Satarupa and Utpalendu Chakrabarty got separated when the actress was just four years old. “It was the right call and it was a very difficult decision in my mother’s life. She had no job. She had two really young kids to raise. But it was the right decision because my father was an alcoholic and she has to cut out of the aggressive relationship to raise her children. And she took that decision. She started from an absolute zero. She chose her passion and became a successful independent filmmaker. That shows the journey of an independent woman,” the actress recalled. 

Besides raising her children, Satarupa also got involved in other social and philanthropic activities. “I saw her journey of being the mother of so many other people. At this point, she is fostering nine other children who live with her in her apartment. She is helping them to get educated. Years after years she has worked towards the welfare of women – empowering them. She made films like Anu through which she brought in the idea of change in how women are treated in our society. That’s what our NGO is also working towards all the time. That’s why she is my inspiration,” she said.