Sauraseni at Starbucks Reserve What is your first impression of Starbucks Reserve at Quest Mall?
I’m really thankful to Shivika Goenka and Quest Mall for introducing me to the Reserve experience. For years now Quest has introduced a lot of international fashion brands to Calcutta. It is the ultimate luxury destination. I loved the open-air space as it is the only Starbucks at the rooftop and it is also the first in Eastern India.
How important are such experiential spaces to a city like Calcutta?
Very important and I think Calcutta is perfect for it. As a true Calcuttan, we hardly believe in the “grab-and-go” culture, rather, we believe in adda. Starting from (Indian) Coffee House to even now, coffee has been an excuse to debate, write and just linger on. Starbucks Reserve fits that DNA better than regular Starbucks as it’s not just fancy coffee. It has theatre-style brewing, merch drops, or the “art of chemex”. You are not just buying coffee, you are buying two hours of atmosphere and luxury. It caters to the Gen-Z as well as the millennials.
Do you associate coffee with any particular role or film you’ve worked on?
Umm, given how I usually prefer my coffee, I think I can associate coffee with my character Arundhuti from Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei. Arundhuti is energetic, spunky and has a straight-forward no-nonsense attitude. She’s bold and intense, just like a cup of hot Americano or a shot of espresso.
What’s the most memorable cup of coffee you’ve had?
Wow, this is a super tricky question as I cannot pinpoint just one memorable incident or one memorable cup. I have had break-ups over coffee and then made up over coffee. I’ve spilled a lot of “tea” over coffee, I’ve brainstormed my The Telegraph She Awards look over coffee. I’ve gone over so many scripts and then celebrated the film’s success over coffee. Coffee has and will always be an emotion which bonds people together.