Indraneil and Rituparna in Bedeni

Rituparna Sengupta dissects Radhika — the seductive snake charmer she plays in Anjan Das’s Friday release Bedeni — and tells t2 why she wants to do more such roles.

You’ve not only played a bold woman in Bedeni, you are also the film’s presenter. Why?

I feel such stories need to be told. Our literature is very rich and that should be explored more. My company, Bhavna Aaj Kaal, is the presenter of the film. Heartbeatz has financed Bedeni.

Why Bedeni in particular, given that you’ve done other literature-based films?

I think the story of a woman who leaves her husband to live in with another man, and then leaves him too for another man is very relevant today because women are financially independent now. They don’t compromise and continue with a relationship that has become bitter and stale over the years. Walking out of a marriage or walking out on a man is no big deal today.

In Bedeni, Radhika leaves her husband because he isn’t sexually active and he doesn’t earn much. She meets someone who she finds manly and thinks he would be able to give her financial stability as well as satisfy her huge sexual demands! That is Sombhu (Rajesh Sharma), from whom she learns to be a snake charmer. When their business dries up, they start doing dance performances in melas. A bout of illness leaves Sombhu weak and more or less sexually inactive, and Radhika starts lusting for the robust Kesta (Indraneil Sengupta), the ring master of a circus.

That way Bedeni is a very today’s subject and Radhika is no less than a modern woman. I am not saying this is right or wrong but that today’s women do not stay on in a bad marriage or with one man. Today’s women live life in the fast lane because life has a lot to offer!

How do you personally relate to Radhika?

I relate to her in bits and pieces. When Anjanda narrated the story, I was in awe of her. I, of course, don’t identify with her totally — the bit where she goes after a man and decides to leave him when she feels he can’t sexually satisfy her anymore! I am not as ruthless as Radhika (laughs), but I am as strong-willed as she is. Not too many actresses would want to play Radhika, not only because one needs to shed a lot of inhibitions but also because of the kind of make-up I sport — layers of dark pancake, dirty, uncombed hair, nude lips and cheap, unwashed saris.

Where would you place Radhika in your list of bold screen roles?

Radhika is an interesting mix. She is aggressive, desperate, a go-getter, independent, mentally strong and a lusty woman! In terms of boldness and a woman free of all inhibitions, Radhika comes first in my list, followed by Trishna’s Tiasha and Damini in Chaturanga, even though these characters belong to different eras and different backgrounds. Tiasha lusts after men too but she is wicked, while Damini is very, very bold for her times. Being a widow, she is attracted to another man and she remarries too. Radhika is rustic and illiterate but she has a mind of her own. She wants to lead a good life and wants a man who can satisfy the fire within her. In that way, she is quite ruthless. She also mouths a few expletives.

What kind of bold scenes do you have in the film?

There are sexual undercurrents between Kesta and Radhika throughout the film.... There’s a scene where Radhika peeps through a hole while Kesta and his partner (Rimjhim Gupta) are making out. Radhika sweats profusely watching them in bed. Then there’s a scene where she is all over Kesta. Though much of the Kesta-Radhika relationship is based on lust, the two eventually fall in love.

Why go for roles like Damini and Radhika at this stage of your career?

Being in the industry for so many years has made me experienced but maturity doesn’t come with the number of years one has been in the industry alone. There’s something called an actress’s instinct, which I have developed. Besides, I want to play complex characters like Radhika, Damini and Tiasha. They bring out the best in me, they challenge me, they push my limits. And playing characters with so many layers makes me a versatile actress. I want to play more characters like these.

Indraneil sengupta on love, lust and making love on screen:

In life I haven’t come across anyone as ruthless as Radhika but I have certainly read a lot about women who are like her. Radhika is a very today’s woman in the sense that women nowadays opt out of a marriage for a better partner and life. They even commit crimes. These things happen very frequently today and that’s why I think Bedeni is a very today’s story. I am not sure if women dared to do such things when Tarashankar Bandopadhyay wrote the book... they may have had their desires but perhaps didn’t go to the extent of executing them.

I have a bold scene with Rimjhim (Gupta) in Bedeni but I don’t think it’s bold enough in terms of physical contact. It’s a love-making scene but cinema gives you the liberty to shoot it in many ways to make it look real. It may seem really bold while watching the film but I was very comfortable during the shoot. Compared to this, my scenes with Rituparno Ghosh in Aarekti Premer Galpo were bolder! I am okay with bold scenes but I have my reservations which I had told Anjanda before we started shooting. I avoid lip-lock; that’s something I’m not comfortable with. Other than that I am more or less okay because I am an actor and I have to do bold scenes to make relationships look real on screen.