After a gap of two years, Raima Sen is all set to return to B-Town with her next film, Bollywood Diaries. The movie, directed by K D Satyam, has her playing a sex worker. In an exclusive chat with SpotboyE, the Bengali beauty talks about work, life and much more. Excerpts...
What is Bollywood Diaries all about?
The film is about ordinary people from all walks of life who want to make it big in Bollywood. It is their diaries, their struggles.
Tell us about your character in the film...
I play Imli, a sex worker from Sonagachi (a red light area in Kolkata). Imli is a Bollywood freak and everything about her is films -- the way she speaks, dresses, behaves… She has only one dream -- to enter Bollywood.
Did you visit Sonagachi for research?
No, I didn’t do any research. I simply worked closely with the director. For me, the director is the captain of the ship. So, I listened to his vision and tried to understand what he wanted.
Was playing a sex worker easy?
It was tough. Satyam sir kept pushing us for the perfect shot. It was strenuous, there was no time to relax or let my hair down.
Have you gone bold with this character?
Imli is not bold in that sense. There is no lovemaking or kissing scene. Imli is this sweet and naive girl with many dreams. Prostitution is just her profession.
Your sister Riya also plays a controversial character (sheena Bohra) in Dark Chocolate (Sex, Riya Sen And Indrani Mukerjea, Oct 29)...
The subject of Dark Chocolate is controversial, not Riya's character
We are seeing you after a long break...
My last film was Children of War in 2014. But this time, I have three films lined up. I choose the best of what I get. I am doing a lot of films back home in Bengal though.
Tell us about your B-Town projects...
I am doing 3Dev with Kunal Kapoor, Ravi Dubey, Karan Singh Grover, KK, Prosenjit and Tisca Chopra. The second one is with Prateik Babbar – Ishq Kabhi Kario Na. The third film, which is untitled yet, is a court-room drama co-starring Deepak Dobriyal, Parveen Dabbas and many theatre actors.
Aligarh and Tere Bin Laden – Dead or Alive release on the same date as Bollywood Diaries (Feb 26)...
If Bollywood Diaries is a good film, people will watch it irrespective of how many movies release on that day. I am confident that we have made a good film in Bollywood Diaries.