Three months after the telecast of controversial tapes that allegedly showed her with godman Nityananda in a compromising position, actor Ranjita is busy working on a self-help book tentatively titled 'How to survive a scandal.' And it will be drawn from her experience.
"I am writing this based on my experiences in the past six months, and there are so many people out there feeling traumatised," the actor told TOI in an interview, the first after the controversy. "My book will help people come to terms with personal problems, and I am in talks with a couple of publishers," she says.
"I am also writing a fiction, aimed at the youth of today, but the one drawn from my experiences will come out first," says the actor. 'Autobiography Of A Yogi' and other books by renowned spiritual gurus line the book shelf in her living room. "I was always a bookworm and you move from fiction to philosophy. I am especially fond of Indian spiritual writings," says the actor, who came to Chennai early this month. She also took time to meet up with CB CID officials in connection with the Nityananda case.
Asked why she went underground when the controversy broke, Ranjita said: "I do not want to hang on to the past. I want to move on. I was very hurt and went through stress and trauma. I decided to hibernate for a while. The media was writing so many negative things about me, and some were fabricated interviews."
She said one needs time to deal with such things, "but people think actors do not deserve that kind of time," she says. She quickly adds that her husband, sisters, parents and in-laws have been pillars of strength for her. She has a short role in 'Raavanan', but she is yet to watch the film.
Any more film offers? "I am not thinking about work right now, I want to take a break," says Ranjita. "When not working, I was like any other army wife, doing social work and attending official parties," says Ranjita who got married to Rakesh, a colonel in the army, in 1998.
Unlike the controversy over Khushboo's comments on safe sex which had women activists and others extending support to the actor, Ranjita had none speaking out for her. "I have not been in touch with anyone for months now, and it will be some more time before I am ready to socialise," she says. What is her state of mind now, when she is not wielding a pen? "I want to put my best foot forward. To a large extent, trust is going to be missing from my dictionary for a long time," says the actor.
