PremiumExclusive! Sauraseni Maitra: High time we stop wallowing in self-pity and focus on the craft. The audience will organically support Bangla cinema
The actress was on her way to Lataguri to shoot Babli when had a chat with OTTplay.
Last Updated: 01.48 PM, Feb 02, 2024
Sauraseni Maitra is a busy woman right now. After working in Mumbai on a grand project like Taj: Divided By Blood, the actress is back where her heart is – Bengal. She has been working on back-to-back projects. After shooting Amar Boss with Rakhee Gulzaar, the actress was on her way to North Bengal to shoot Raj Chakraborty’s Babli with Subhashree Ganguly and Abir Chatterjee. Once back, she will shoot Pathikrit Guha’s Shastri with Mithun Chakraborty.
It is not just these three films, Sauraseni has been working on a number of Bengali OTT shows as well. Last year, her Shabash Feluda was dropped on Zee5. She will be seen in Arindam Sil’s Unishey April which is scheduled to be dropped on a new OTT platform. The actress was on her way to Lataguri to shoot Babli when had a chat with OTTplay. Read on….
Back in Bengal and how!
Talking about her back-to-back schedules, the actress said she was lucky. “Touch wood, touch wood, touch wood,” exclaimed an excited Sauraseni. “It has been a great start to the year. Last year I was busy shooting outside Bengal. I was not getting enough time to commit here. However, I am excited to be back here,” she added.
As Sauraseni took a car ride to Lataguri to shoot Babli, she recalled, “My first Bengali film is with Abirda (Chatterjee). Anik Dutta’s Meghnadbodh Rohoshyo.” Meanwhile, Babli also marks a series of ‘first times’ for her. “This is my first work with Rajda, Subhashreedi, and their production house. I am super excited. Moreover, I love outdoor schedules. Wherever I get time, I travel. This time, while it is just for a couple of days, I am still excited,” she added.
On working with stalwarts
Sauraseni’s next schedule is for Pathikrit’s Shastri. Produced by Soham Chakraborty, the film will feature Mithun Chakraborty, Debashree Roy, and others. “For the first time, I will be shooting two films simultaneously. I have never done that before. I am a little anxious. The respective production houses laid out a reasonable plan,” she said.
However, Sauraseni is equally excited to share the screen with Mithun. “In my family, my father is a Mithun Chakraborty fan, my mother, an Amitabh Bachchan fan. I heard them fighting over their heroes. When my father got to know that I would be working with Mithun Chakraborty, he got super excited. He is delighted,” she said.
Sauraseni feels gratified and honoured to have worked with some of the National stalwarts. She has completed shooting with Rakhee Gulzar in Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s Amar Boss. Earlier, she worked with Naseeruddin Shah in Taj: Divided by Blood. “Every time I worked with these stalwarts I draw inspiration from them. They have awe-inspiring dedication to their craft. In Shastry, I will not only work with Mithun Chakraborty but also with Debashree Roy,” she said.
On working in Mumbai
After working for months in Mumbai, what have been her takeaways, we asked? “Job satisfaction and acknowledgement. As artistes, we constantly seek validation, especially from our audience. After Taj, I got recognition nationally. That is very satisfying,” said the actress.
‘Tired of ‘Bangla cinemar pashe daran’
Sauraseni believes in her craft. The actress has no problem in promoting her films but doesn’t want to ‘beg’ people to stand by Bengali cinema. “We are artistes. If we do our job well, our audience will cheer for us. I find no reason to beg for their support. No other industry does that. There was a time when South Indian industry, collectively, challenged the Hindi industry in terms of business. I think the Hindi industry fought back. Moreover, they started working together. A big-budget Hindi film is now dubbed in multiple South Indian languages. It's high time we stop wallowing in self-pity. Only craft can draw people to the theatre and we should work towards that,” said the actress.
‘Love life vs love in life’
Sauraseni’s rumoured affair with city’s businessman Nikhil Jain was the centre of discussion even a while ago. Recently, speculations have been rife that they parted ways. Like before, Sauraseni refused to comment on the status of her love life. “I have a lot of love in my life but can’t say the same for so-called ‘love life’,” she giggled and quipped, “I get to know more about my personal life from media than I know myself.” When asked about Nikhil, she said, “We used to be friends and we continue to be friends. Rest, I leave on the readers’ imagination,” Sauraseni signed off.