Exclusive! Sauraseni Maitra: 2022 was a slap on the face to those who said that Bengali cinema is finished

Arindam Sil’s Maayakumari is set to release on January 13. Sauraseni Maitra plays the character of Nandini, an assistant director, in the film which also features Rituparna Sengupta, Abir Chatterjee, Arunima Ghosh, Rajatava Dutta, Indrasish Roy, and others. Billed as a tribute to 100 years of Bengali cinema, the film revolves around a heroine of yesteryear, Maayakumari. In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Sauraseni talks about her character and her future plans. Read on… 

Talking about the film, Sauraseni said, “When Arindamda offered me this role, he said that while my character is not the lead, it is very interesting. And when I read it, it became clear to me.” Her character, Nandini, is also very close to Runi, the heroine. “The character has layers and I liked it. Also, the film is a tribute to Bengali cinema and hence, my character is a bit more interesting to me. In our industry, it is only the actors, actresses, directors, and sometimes producers who are remembered by our audience. No one remembers the assistant directors, spot boys, and the other technicians. But they are also important cogs in the wheel. The film celebrates every single one who is involved in the system,” she said.     

Talking about her works, Sauraseni said, “The pandemic period was very depressing for all of us and then 2022 was a slap on the face to those who said that Bengali cinema is finished. During this period, I worked with Arindamda and Mainakda (Bhoumick). Meanwhile, I also worked in Mumbai on a few national projects. I have worked in a number of web series also.”  

Sauraseni will be seen in Arindam’s tryst with Feluda, Shabash Feluda, on Zee5. While Parambrata Chatterjee and Rwitobroto Mukherjee will be seen as Feluda and Topshe, The actress is also a part of the cast. The web series feature Gangtoke Gondogol and the introduction of Saurasheni by the director was criticised. Addressing this, Sairaseni said, “I would request people to wait and watch the series before starting to troll. I am a Feluda fan, I wouldn’t have agreed to work on the project if my character made no sense. I think we need to have a little patience.”