Exclusive! Swastika Mukherjee on Mahalaya: Though I look otherwise, I am traditional when it comes to Durga Puja

Mahalaya is here and Debi Paksha – a fortnight of Ma Durga – has begun. Bengalis across the world mark the day with an early morning ritual of listening to the baritone chant by Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s in Mahishasurmardini. From today onwards, OTTplay gives you a lowdown on celebrities’ Puja plans. In a candid chat and with a gorgeous photoshoot, actress Swastika Mukherjee explains to us why this Debi Paksha is special to her. Read on… 

When it comes to Durga Puja, Swastika is traditional and ‘old-school’ to the T. By her admission, she is ‘shekele’ in nature when it comes to following the heritage. “I saw my mother following the rituals of Puja. I tried to copy her then and I follow the customs even today. Though I look otherwise, I am traditional when it comes to Durga Puja,” says the actress. 

Durga Puja is all about celebrating with family and friends and this is a special year for Swastika. After years, her daughter Mani is in Kolkata. “She went to Mumbai for her graduation. There she used to get holidays during Diwali. After that, she went to Cardiff University last year. Her session started right before the Puja. For years, my Puja was spent video-calling Mani to show Anjali and Sandhi Puja. This year, there will be no more video calls. Mother and daughter will celebrate Puja together. Anyway, we have been shopping together,” she says. 

The Qala-actress is also drenched in nostalgia. Remembering her parents, she recalls, “For people like me, who lost both the parents, every memory revolves around them. I miss the grandeur when Ma and Baba were around. On Mahalaya, Ma used to wake us up with full gusto. With Ma, it used to be five days of Hurricane storm at home. My father stayed away from the crowd. Ma and I used to go Pandal hopping. I clearly remember that in the year when Bosepukur made their pandal with Chaa-er Bhnar, Ma and I covered our faces with ghomta (veil) and stood in the queue for two hours to enter the pandal. We were coming back from somewhere. It was 2.30 am and we jumped off the car to visit the pandal. We covered our faces but did not think that if I showed my face to the organisers, I would get an early-bird entry. It was a ritual to visit all the famous Pujas, including Md Ali Park and so on.”

Swastika learnt all the Puja-related rituals from her mother. “And I try to remember them and follow them by heart. I used to watch my Ma keenly. She taught me Thakur Boron and everything. During Puja, she used to do a special worship and I continue that custom. Following those rituals is how I hold on to my roots,” she says. 

But time has changed and the actress complains that this generation is rather lukewarm with Puja and the customs. “They are not half as enthusiastic as we used to be. They don’t go for pandal-hopping or celebrate the day with similar gusto. For us, offering Anjali, celebrating Sandhi Puja, doing baran used to be a must. For Mani, these are not must-dos. She joins me because I tell her. But she doesn’t take the same kind of interest though. Visiting elders’ houses for Bijoya has gone into oblivion these days,” she says. 

Also read: Nikhoj actress Swastika Mukherjee paints Mumbai green 

However, Mani and Swastika did their Puja shopping together and her daughter was more than enthusiastic in buying new clothes – a mandatory tradition of Durga Puja. Swastika bought a Lambani sari for herself. “That is the only sari I bought from a designer I really like. I have a special fondness for heritage looms. Meanwhile, as I was organising my wardrobe I found one sack full of new saris that I would like to wear this time,” says the actress. She further jokes that shopping with Mani was rather an expensive job. “This time Mani and I went shopping together and she bought the entire market,” jokes Swastika. “In fact, I spent all my money on her. Now, I will have to go to Parama (her blouse stylist) and rent some blouses for my saris. I have no money to buy blouses anymore,” she quips. 

Also read: Exclusive! Swastika Mukherjee: It is the right time to start working with Bangladesh closely 

Swastika went through a surgery and had to take rest for days. Now she is all geared up to celebrate Puja. Soon after that she will go to Bangladesh to shoot One Eleven with Afzal Hossain. 

Photoshoot courtesy: 

Photographer: Aritra Dutta 

Stylist: Rishabh

Ensemble: Parama Calcutta 

Makeup: Prosenjit Banerjee 

Hair: Nita Mallick