Pix by Subhendu chaki

There have been several turning points in my life that have helped me become the person I am. While I was still a baby, we moved from Calcutta to the hills of Kurseong. As a result, to this day, I am enamoured with lofty mountains and I think that landscape influenced my philosophy.

Later, in university, I started acting in plays staged during inter-college cultural programmes. I was spotted by talent scouts from the Bengali film industry and offers began pouring in. I signed-up for a role in Ashok Vishwanathan’s tele-film, Roop. Getting the national Onida Pinnacle Award for my role in a serial called Grohon, along with acting greats like Farida Jalal and Rohini Hatangadi was a major motivation.

Then, I shifted to Mumbai and acted in Zee TV’s first daily soap, Raahat and stayed there for the next two years after which I decided to come back to Calcutta and start a family. At that point I was offered a role in a serial called Chhoti si Asha by K. Balachander of Ek Duuje Ke Liye fame. However, since I was advised bed-rest during my pregnancy, I wrote to the director about my inability to work during that period. He decided to wait for a year so that I could act in Chhoti si Asha. This is an event that holds a lot of significance for me. The serial went on to make a splash.

Another landmark in my career is my first film Waarish.

(As told to Susmita Saha)