The first thing that Sara Sengupta asked mom Nilanjanaa on the morning of May 30 was — “Do we have promotions today?” On being told that there were none, her response was: “Okay, I’ll play with Zara then!” Yes, Sara Sengupta is all cool and composed just before the release of her debut film, Uma, directed by Srijit Mukherji. Sara’s father Jisshu Sengupta, who was shooting in Goa on Wednesday for a Mahesh Manjrekar film, couldn’t be happier. “The feedback is amazing and we are all excited. I’ll be flying in to attend the special screening of Uma on May 31, and then flying back to Goa the next day,” Jisshu told t2. Excerpts from a t2 adda in Jisshu’s Lake Gardens home...

Jisshu, how young were you when you faced the camera for the first time?

Jisshu: I think I was 16. It was for the film Atmaja, starring Madhabi Mukherjee. On the first day of shoot, I was lip-syncing to (Kabir) Suman’s song. I didn’t understand the significance then, but when I got into music, it sunk in. At that time, I couldn’t grasp the gravity of the situation. I would doze off and Madhabi Mukherjee would wake me up.      

Sara, what are your friends telling you?

Sara: One of them told me Uma (releases today) was trending on YouTube. My friends are really excited.

Jisshu: But what are you feeling?

Sara: I am happy and proud, but my friends are more excited than I am.  They keep asking me every day about the movie.

Sara, what was your takeaway from the film Uma?

Sara: I made so many friends.

Jisshu: That’s Sara for you. She faced the camera for the first time in her life. She went abroad to shoot with so many lovely actors, she heard those words for the first time — lights, camera, action. But she will say that she made friends! She is really close to Rudranil (Ghosh), Anjanda (Dutt), and the directorial team. They pampered her. One of the best things about the shoot was no one treated her like a kid.

How was Switzerland?

Sara: We built a snowman and made him wear sunglasses. We played with snowballs. 

And how did you do the emotional scenes?

Sara: Without glycerin.

Jisshu: Seeing me in an emotional scene, she would start crying. I choked during dubbing too.

How was dad as an actor?

Sara: (Turning to Jisshu) You were really good. I can’t compare myself to you! 

Was it difficult to recognise dad once he got into character?

Sara: Not really. Jisshu and Himadri (Jisshu’s character in Uma) have lots of things in common.

Jisshu: Both are emotional.

Sara: Both are brave and smart. 

Did you discover something new about your father?

Sara: He is very good at crying in emotional scenes!

Jisshu: I am really lucky. We probably became more close after Uma. Nilanjanaa (Senguptaa, Jisshu’s wife) and Sara are more like buddies. She knows all her secrets.

Sara: You also know.

Jisshu: That’s because she tells me!

Sara: I tell you too!

What is it about acting that gives you a thrill?

Sara: It’s the camera, and memorising lines... also people are noticing me. And of course it’s nice to see myself on the screen (smiles).

Jisshu: And they say she dubbed better than me! For her first scene with me, Sara had lines. It was an important scene.

Sara: I said it in my own words. He (Srijit) had told me, ‘As long as you understand the sentence, you can frame it whichever way you want.’ I could say it in any way as long as it had the same meaning. Also, it depended on the scene… for a sad scene, you needed a sad voice.

Jisshu: And Srijit wrote the lines keeping her in mind.

What were the other instructions?

Sara: To forget the presence of the camera. And to just behave.

Jisshu: Srijit would talk to her in the same way he would with any other actor. They connected somewhere, I don’t know how, but they did. For one scene, while I took four-five takes, she did it in two! Wasn’t it biased?! (Laughs) The father taking more time than the daughter! She was never exposed to acting before Uma. She had never been to my shoots. She never saw that process. I don’t know where she got it from, but it is good to know that she understands acting. Maybe it’s in the genes. 

What kind of movies do you watch?

Sara: I like watching movies related to vampire and werewolves.  I also like watching ghost and mystery movies. 

Jisshu, did you ever think of playing Sara’s father in a film?

Jisshu: I never thought that this would happen. I did not know Srijit would cast Sara as Uma. She is mature, cool and composed. She has a very sharp mind. Initially, we felt it was too early for Sara to act in a film. Srijit spoke to Sara directly and got a positive reply. 

Sara, why did you agree?

Sara: I had never been in front of the camera before, so I wanted to know what it is like. Also, he (Srijit) is a very good friend. We talk about everything.

Jisshu: We just tried to make sure she didn’t miss school. The shoot happened during her summer and Puja holidays. 

Jisshu, seeing Sara perform, what was going through your mind?

Jisshu: I was concerned about how she was doing. Srijit had told me that I shouldn’t say a word to her during the shoot. He would directly communicate with her. I got to know from the other actors that she had done a good job. They were going gaga over her performance. Now, when I see her in the songs, I just get so emotional. I had tears in my eyes. And for the first time, in my 20-year-career, I feel tense before the release of a film. 

Sara, what’s your fave Jisshu film?

Sara: Piku.

Jisshu: She is too young to watch the rest. She watches a lot of Disney films.

Sara: Papa, I don’t watch Disney anymore! I watch Disney International, that’s for teenagers!

Pictures: B. Halder