Women today are truly more empowered: Raima Sen

Women today are truly more empowered: Raima Sen

The granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen, Raima Sen is a true blue Royal--Her paternal grandmother, Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch Behar, whose younger sister Gayatri Devi was the Maharani of Jaipu while her paternal great-grandmother Indira was the only daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda. Raima made her debut in Hindi films with Godmother (1999) and has since then acted in 0ver 40 films in Bengali,Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. On the eve of her latest release”The Bastard Child” a poignant and historic film based on true facts of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, Raima talks with Sudha Hariharan

A decade and a half in films – did  you always want to be in films?

Yes, I have always wanted to be an actor. I have my mother( Moon Moon Sen) who has always been my mentor. I used to visit sets with her. Since then I have always been fond of acting and it is wonderful to be a part of this industry. It is extremely dynamic.

You have worked with some of the country’s best directors—Vinay Shukla,Kalpana Lajmi,Rituparno Ghosh, Pradeep Sarkar—what were your experiences working for them?

I did my first film, Godmother, with Vinay Shukla. I was extremely nervous and scared but he was  my teacher throughout the movie. I did another film with him after that called 'Mirch' and that was the time I enjoyed working with him and since then I always confided  in him. Rituparno Ghosh  was one of my favourites. He taught me how to act and gave me a lot of guidance. Pradeep Sarkar is a perfectionist. He knows what he wants from an actor. To work with someone like him brings you closer to perfection.

Shabana Azmi, KayKay,Boman Irani, Abhay Deol,Prasanjit,Victor Banerjee,Farooq Sheikh…all immensely versatile and talented… would you like to share memories about acting with them?

Prasanjit is very particular and a patient actor. I am happy to have worked with some of the most experienced actors in the industry. KayKay is brilliant. He has helped me a lot while doing some scenes with me in the movie, 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.' My first film was with Shabana Azmi, 'Godmother',working with her has been a wonderful experience. Apart from acting there were so many more things that I learned from her including the right make up and the right hair style. During the shoot of 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.' we actually developed a good relationship. She is one of the few veteran actors that I am in touch with and have been close to.

What is The Bastard Child all about…?

‘The Bastard Child’ is a film based on the Bangladeshi Genocide that happened in 1971. It is a grave representation of the events that took place in Bangladesh. I am glad to be a part of such a movie. Not many people were aware of this incident and it is one of the only movies that reveals the truth of the Bangladeshi genocide. The film releases on December 27.

What is the role you play?

I play one of the victims of this genocide. Indraneil Sengupta is a journalist in the movie and I play the role of his wife. It  is a very strong character which represents womens’ empowerment strongly-- a journey of a woman empowering herself after 9 months of emotional devastation and physical pain.

Did you read up on the Bangladesh genocide to prepare for your role?

Mrityunjay Devvrat, the director  had come to me with the script of 'The Bastard Child'. He explained the entire incident with so much passion that I knew this is something that I want to be a part of. It was only after speaking to Mrityunjay, that I started preparing for my role in the movie and started reading about the Bangladeshi genocide. Mrityunjay has taken a  strong initiative to make such a bold movie on such a sensitive subject .

Do you feel women are truly empowered today?

Yes, I do feel women are empowered today. Earlier women were not even allowed to step out of their homes and now we have women ministers. Our country has also witnessed a female President. It makes me proud to say that we are hugely empowering. The biggest change I see is that a lot more girls are educated now or are allowed to educate themselves.

What are your forthcoming projects?

I am doing one film with Vinay Pathak called 'No Rules For Fools' and also 'Raakh' co-starring Vir Das and Rajeev Khandelwal.

You bear a striking resemblance to your immensely talented grandmother, Suchitraji…do you ever seek guidance from her regarding your films/roles?

I do seek a lot of guidance from her mainly when I do Bengali films. I remember she read out the entire book of 'Chokar Bali' when I was shooting for the movie. She was very fond of Rituparno Ghosh and was always been keen on reading his scripts and discussing my role in the film.

What are your other interests?

I love reading and watching films.

Are you inspired by performers..from Hollywood, Bollywood or Bengal?

There is no one in particular. Any beautiful performance or movie is inspiring. As actors,with each film we do, there is a lot to learn  and also a lot of experience you take ahead with you.

Is there a dream role that you would like to be offered?

No dream role particularly but I do look forward to working with a lot of directors. I want to do more dynamic and challenging roles in my life. Also I would want interesting scripts.