Sreelekha and Mir at Flurys. Picture by Aranya Sen

Over tuna sandwiches and Darjeeling tea at Flurys, Mirakkel host Mir and judge Sreelekha chatted with Priyanka Roy about the show, their chemistry and much more...

When did the two of you meet for the first time?

Sreelekha: We first met on the sets of a telefilm in 2001. Taar aageo aami Mir ke chintam, but that was the first time we spoke to each other.

Mir: We were acting in this telefilm directed by Anindita Sarbadhicari. I played an unsuccessful poet and she dumped me for a man called Debshankar. I was extremely nervous. She remembers that very well.

S: For a beginner, I thought you were very good…

M: The role required me to recite poetry and reciting poetry that isn’t by Rabindranath Tagore is pretty tough. I was shit scared and on top of that, I had Sreelekha resting her head on my chest in a wobbly boat and I didn’t know how to swim!

S: I thought he did very well. A smart, shikkhito, good-looking, jhok-jhoke man is quite a rarity in the industry. (Hearing this, Mir jumps up from his chair). I have always liked him. Eto bhalo kotha bolte pare.

M: But the first day I met her, aami kono kotha bolte pari ni!

From the nervous first day nine years ago to the chemistry on Mirakkel that has got everyone talking…

M: There was this particular episode where a mock fight was created between the two of us, something that the rest of the crew thought was serious. In that particular episode, Sreelekha and I were hitting back at each other.

S: Bhishon tit for tat comments hochchhilo.

M: At the end of the episode, I was sulking and then she walked up to me and gave me a hug. But how was the hug shown? In super slow motion, every look explained, every glance focused upon with Tumhein jo maine dekha from Main Hoon Na playing in the background. I was pretty taken aback because she had never hugged me like that! The next day, I wanted to give her a return gift for the hug. So I picked up two gifts. I presented the smaller box first…

S: And you know what it had? A packet of Huggies. “Tumi aamake ekta hug diyechho, aami tomake plural-ey hug dilam!”

M: She came up to me, whacked me and threw away the gift. And then I gave her the bigger box that was full of chocolates.

S: It was really cute. It wasn’t staged at all. It just happened. I thought it was great chemistry.

M: Whenever there would be a female guest on the show, we would make it a point to compliment Sreelekha first — and the most. When Konkona came on the show, I told her, “Konkona, please don’t mind. I will compliment Sreelekha a little more than you”. And Konkona was like, “Yaaaa… okay”. We were all briefed that if you are saying something about beauty on the show, then you will have to compliment Sreelekha first.

Sreelekha’s look in Mirakkel became a major talking point…

M: There are seven Orkut fan communities just dedicated to Sreelekha on Mirakkel. What she wears, what she says, how she carries herself, each and every episode is critiqued and spoken about.

S: Touchwood, I have always had a good fan following. They keep track of my work, they give suggestions, they appreciate…. Here you get typecast so soon. I was a hit in the roles of the typical, sari-clad bou. I couldn’t wear the clothes that I wanted to wear, I couldn’t style my hair like I did in real life. On Mirakkel, I made the most of the fact that I could just be myself. Choshma pore jetam, ekdin tattoo kore chole gelam…

M: And we have glorified every single look of Sreelekha’s. When she got the tattoo done, we exposed it completely on camera. In fact, there is another forum in the Orkut community that speaks about the tattoo. It’s called Sreelekha’s Tattoo!

S: I didn’t depend on the production guys, I picked my clothes myself. Sometimes, I liked an outfit so much that I ended up buying it!

How much did Sreelekha’s presence boost TRPs?

M: Sreelekha characterised a lot of oomph on the show, which was not deliberate but happened quite naturally. Then there were these particular episodes where I would go into a break telling Sreelekha stuff like, “Don’t you remember what happened last night? Okay, I will come back after the break and tell you”. And we discovered that in those episodes, the TRPs shot up dramatically just after that break because the audience wanted to know what we were doing together the previous night!

S: Post-Mirakkel, most functions I go for have people coming up to me and saying, “Duto joke bolun”. Arre, aami ki kore joke bolbo? I am the judge! I have done so much work in the industry, but Mirakkel has really been something else. I think Mirakkel 5 was really one of the best. Puro byaparta sync hoye gechhilo. Mir was definitely at his best, the participants were very good. See (to Mir), I am saying such good things about you.

M: I don’t do any PR for myself because Sreelekha does it for me!

S: I do it for the people who deserve it because no one has ever done it for me.

M: “PR Ishq Aur Mohabbat” is the name of our next project!

Sreelekha shows off her tattoo. Picture by Aranya Sen

Are you sometimes forced to laugh out loud even if you haven’t really enjoyed the joke?

S: I can’t laugh out loud like (Navjot Singh) Sidhu and Archana Puran Singh. I have never forcibly laughed for the sake of TRPs. You can make out from our expressions whether we have liked a joke or not. But yes, I have been embarrassed at some of the jokes.

M: Now that was a real period of torture for Sreelekha.

S: I would keep my head down when the ‘adult’ jokes happened. In fact, aami ardhek jokes toh bujhtei partam na!

Who’s been your favourite celebrity guest on Mirakkel?

M: Without a doubt Rituparno Ghosh. There was a lot of apprehension before the shoot because of what had happened between us earlier. The previous night, everyone on the sets was congratulating me and praying for me. As if I was going to be put on the altar and sacrificed...

S: Everyone thought he handled himself and the show very well. My respect for him went up even more after that episode.

Sreelekha, can you ask Mir three questions you have never asked him…

S: I can’t ask that in front of the press (laughs)! Okay, let Mir ask first.

M: I would like to ask her if her father is a terrorist?

S: He was once upon a time. My father was very strict, just like Hitler. I had a curfew hour even after I started acting. Even after I got married, I used to get nervous as soon as the clock struck 9.30pm, only to realise that it’s okay and I am married now!

M: Cinderella syndrome! The answer to my question is: because his daughter is a bomb!

S: Oh, aami erokom witty answer ditey pari na. I have got my volatile nature from my father. Ekhon onek norom hoye gechhi boyesher saathe.

M: If I was a tattoo artist, where would she allow me to draw a tattoo on her body?

S: Tomar wildest fantasy jekhane (laughs). And then thash, thash, thash (three mock slaps).

M: If Sreelekha was marooned on an island, who would she prefer for company — Buddhadeb or Mamata?

S: Neither! It would be I, me, myself. And loads of books!

Now its Sreelekha’s turn…

Sreelekha thinks hard for a whole minute

M: Do you want to consult last 10 years’ Madhyamik test papers?

S: Uffff...let me wear my specs. It helps me think better!

S: What is the reason behind your confidence on stage?

M: It’s related to the brand of underwear I wear. The elastic quality is better. Tighter underwear means tighter and compact performances on stage. I wear my underwear over my pants at home because I need extra confidence at home. The wife wears the pants in the house. I need to wear something too!

S: Ok, next question. How do you manage to be so good- looking?

Stunned, Mir picks up her tea cup and smells it.

M: Are you drinking whisky or tea? Good-looking and me?! Blush, blush, blush, blush. I will pass on the number of my ophthalmologist to Sreelekha because she really needs to get her eyes checked if she thinks I am good-looking!