Richa Gangopadhyay. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya )

Richa Gangopadhyay — born Bengali, raised in Michigan and famous as a heroine in Telugu movies — is romancing Prosenjit in Rajib’s untitled film. A t2 chat...

You are doing very well down south. What prompted you to take up a Bengali potboiler?

Bengali is my mother tongue. Aami bhalo Bangla bolte paari (I am fluent in Bengali). Even though I have grown up in the US, my roots are here. Despite all the success I’ve had in south films, there’s a different charm in working in your mother tongue. I always wanted to do a Bengali film.... It’s a wonderful story. A cute romantic action thriller and it’s being done by one of the biggest production houses in Bengali cinema (Eskay Movies). And, of course, debuting opposite Prosenjitda is definitely an awesome opportunity, something I wouldn’t have refused!

What do you play in the film?

I play a trendy yet traditional girl. She is not a cliched village girl, nor is she a cliched modern character. She is a regular girl... bubbly, cute, poised and mature.

How did you land the role opposite Prosenjit?

I was introduced to Prosenjitda a few years ago by my uncle Aniruddha Chakladar (make-up artiste). Prosenjitda was nice enough to recommend me for this role. He thought I was suitable for it and after going through the character sketch, I thought it would be the right debut for me in Bengali cinema.... I have always been his huge fan and I loved his work in Autograph.

How did you get into acting?

It’s kind of a whirlwind of events. I was a nutrition student back home in Michigan, US. I won the Miss India Michigan pageant in 2007, which led me to the Miss India USA pageant in 2008. I decided to move to India in 2009 and I attended a three-month acting course at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares in Mumbai, which is where I live now (Andheri West). I was born in Delhi and spent three years in Coimbatore before moving to the US when I was three. My mom is from Indore and my dad is from Hyderabad, which makes us probashi Bangali. After the course got over, I got a call to act in Leader, my first Telugu film, opposite Rana Daggubati. It was followed by Nagavalli and Mayakkam Enna. The Tamil remake of Dabangg (Osthi-The Cool Cop), where I play Sonakshi’s (Sinha) role, is now running at the theatres. I make sure to have a combination of glamour and substance in my roles, so that people see both my performance as well as my commercial side.

Didn’t you try for Bollywood?

It’s not that I didn’t try for Bollywood, it’s just that no matter what language it is in, I am very selective about the script. To be honest, I got a number of offers from Bollywood during my three-year stint as an actress. But because I have had dream debuts in Telugu and Tamil cinema and now a similar one in Bengal, I want to make sure that my debut in Bollywood would be appropriate too. It would be something that lives up to the standard of the films I have done down south.

How often do you visit Calcutta?

I try to visit Calcutta as often as possible. My cousins live in Bali. So, I have a great family time whenever I am here. Plus, the food...!

Any favourite films in Bengali?

My favourite is (Aparna Sen’s) Paromitar Ekdin. I have been watching Rituparno Ghosh’s films and I would love to work with him someday... and perhaps Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury as well.