Bathed in sunset hues and celebrating the moment against a gorgeous Alkmaar sky in The Netherlands, Ritabhari Chakraborty looks like a dream. In fact, after a rough patch with health last year, getting back to the life she’s known for years — happily busy— has been no less a dream come true for the perky actor, producer and writer. And the pictures truly reflect the joy of lapping it all up, unhindered, resplendent in the glow of health. She was in The Netherlands for a week in June and shared an album with The Telegraph from a special shoot and vacay.
When did you shoot this?
This was when I went to The Netherlands in June. I shot the yellow outfit in Alkmaar, a few hours away from the city, the virgin side of The Netherlands. The pink look was shot in the centre of Amsterdam, very cosmopolitan. It shows both sides of the vacation. You enjoy going around the touristy spots as well as the heart of a country, which was Alkmaar for me. Amsterdam is a character in its own. People in Alkmaar lead simple lives, are nice and sweet and they eat so little!
Whenever I travel, I like collaborating with local talents. There is nothing that I enjoy more than being in front of the camera. The photographers, both women and one heavily pregnant at that, were from Amsterdam. The one who was pregnant was kind enough to travel with me to Alkmaar. She was five-six months pregnant, running around with her camera.
I loved the vibe of Alkmaar. In Amsterdam, we had a lot of trouble keeping people out of the zone to shoot (laughs). The clothes were by Sandy (the white-and-pink dress) and Kiara (Sen; the yellow outfit). This time, the shoot was for me and that is something I have done for the first time. In the past I have collaborated with GUESS in Canada and Fashion Nova in Chicago.
I did my own make-up this time and for hair, I had someone. Her name is Gigi. Once her ex-boyfriend locked her up in a box.
Listening to the stories of strangers is so interesting because in your head, you are always thinking that you’ve got it worse.
It brings a different flavour to your vacation...
It does. There is nothing holding me back. Creatively, we belong to the same religion, the religion of art. I believe fashion is a form of art and when you meet people of your tribe, you just gel. People are scared of losing their comfort zone, but I like pushing myself out of it. Who wouldn’t like to see sides of themselves, especially me as an actor, that I am not aware of and can be explored?
What else did you explore?
The weather was a little chilly, which was actually nice, and raining at times. I enjoyed Alkmaar the most. The main reason I went to Amsterdam was to see the Van Gogh Museum. When I was unwell last year, I used to tell myself, when I get well and am able to travel again, I would go and visit the Van Gogh Museum. And, that’s exactly what we did. It was magical. I love going to art galleries and museums. Paintings really talk to me and inspire me.
Van Gogh suffered so much but spoke to us through his paintings, which we look to derive hope from. They are inspiring. No matter what came his way, he never stopped painting. And even if there weren’t many takers, he believed in his art.
As an artist you tend to keep on questioning who you are and if what you are doing is making sense to the world because a lot of times, it’s not....
You know how the city is a tribute to Van Gogh is that even a regular flower shop will have sunflowers. I bought a bunch of sunflowers to keep in the room. I love flowers and they always make me happy. The city is art-inclined and is a mixture of the classic and modern. I love miniatures and I found a guy who does it and bought a cycle and a bench, which I made a whole park out of. I feel miniatures find me. I also enjoyed the flea and farmer’s markets. I also went to Rembrandt’s house.
Where are you headed to in 2023?
There is a possibility of going to the US with a film in March. I want to go to South Africa. The funny part is I have never really been to Thailand and I am finally going on December 17. One day will be dedicated to shopping in Bangkok.
Ritabhari shot this one in pink and white in Amsterdam.
Valeria RybalkinaBLURB
Whenever I travel, I like collaborating with local talents. There is nothing that I enjoy more than being in front of the camera. The photographers, both women and one heavily pregnant at that, were from Amsterdam. The one who was pregnant was kind enough to travel with me to Alkmaar. She was five-six months pregnant, running around with her camera.I loved the vibe of Alkmaar. In Amsterdam, we had a lot of trouble keeping people out of the zone to shoot (laughs) — Ritabhari
