Shibpur-actress Swastika Mukherjee: Even in 2023, if I give a photo in a swimsuit, I am body-shamed

Swastika Mukherjee is known for not mincing words. The actress, who will be seen as a mafia queen in the upcoming film Shibpur, talked to OTTplay at length about her journey in the film. Earlier this year, the actress brought allegations of sexual harassment against one of the producers in the film. Now before the release of the film, she talked about how her character Mandira is still relevant in a society that is still dominated by patriarchal mindsets. 

While talking to us, she talked about how her character Mandira’s life takes a 180-degree turn from a polite homemaker to a fierce mafia queen of a deadly area in Howrah. She further added that Mandira is a deeply emotional person and yet her conviction and resilience made her a strong woman at the same time. “In our society, we often suffer from this misconception that emotional women are weak, vulnerable and gullible. That’s not true. One can be extremely emotional and yet mentally strong and stout. Mandira is a caring mother and a doting wife and yet when she is wronged, she stands up and takes revenge. Her life takes a spin and a middle-class housewife becomes a stone-cold mafia leader full of conviction,” said Swastika, adding, “Mandira is like the women we read in history. Like Razia Sultana. They are emotional and they are wronged – they get sold, their husbands get killed and then they retaliate.”

Swastika said that women are still wronged by men in our society. “Even today’s society is still full of men in power. You are not supposed to mess with them. These men effortlessly violate women every day and as it seems, it is very easy for them. They fiddle with their clothes, touch her inappropriately and simply call her a whore. Even in 2023, if I post a photo in a swimsuit, I am immediately boob-shamed, slut-shamed, age-shamed, and body-shamed.”

My journey with Mandira was intense. She is a simple middle-class woman whose life revolved around household chores. Suddenly it takes a turn as her husband gets killed. It is her urge for revenge that makes her a terror in that area.

Directed by Arindam Bhattacharya and produced by Indo-Americana Films, Shibpur also features Parambrata Chatterjee in the lead. The film will be released on June 30.