Paoli Dam. Picture by Pabitra Das

From wearing bikinis and hot pants to cleavage-revealing dresses, you’ve done it all for Kagojer Bou...

Done it all? No, I haven’t yet! Akhono anek kichhu kora baki achhe! I had fun with the costumes you know, it was like a breath of fresh air for me. Before Kagojer Bou, I had mostly worn saris in films and whatever I wear in Kagojer Bou is because of the background my character Priti comes from. Clothes reveal a lot about you. Priti is a model and she has that lifestyle. She is very comfortable in a bikini or a micro mini.

You’ve also worn a bikini and micro minis in Takhan Teish. Do you feel there’s an overdose of skin show?

Overdose! Why? This is just the beginning! Takhan Teish and Kagojer Bou are very different from each other and so are my characters. In Takhan Teish I play a porn star while in Kagojer Bou I am a sophisticated urban girl. The micro minis and bikinis that I wore in Takhan Teish were tacky as those were meant to inspire male fantasy. In Kagojer Bou the costumes are stylish and glamorous. And I don’t think this is an overdose. Look at the heroines in Bombay, they show so much skin.

But you will be judged according to Tollywood standards...

Yes, but Tollywood has changed a lot too over the years. The audience are not averse to skin show or adult scenes in Bengali films anymore. I haven’t got any negative feedback. Wearing a micro mini or a bikini is nothing for me, I can go to any extent to portray a character. I have no issues with nude scenes too.

What is your yardstick when you decide to wear bold outfits in films?

It depends on the character. If the script needs me to wear nothing, I can do that too. I sit and discuss my look with my director and costume designer. I should look good; there are no yardsticks as such.

You were absent from all Moner Manush promotions. Have you fallen out with Goutam Ghose?

No. The Moner Manush team was aware that I was busy shooting for Mushroom (by Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara). I was in Bolpur for the shoot.... I would love to work with Goutamda again if he offers me a good role.

You have signed films by newcomers like Arindam De (Uro Choti Express) and Goutam Basu (Atas Kancher Niche). Aren’t established directors approaching you?

Arindamda is making his debut as a director but he has worked in television for many years. And Goutamda is a celebrated art director.... I have worked with all the big names at the start of my career — from Goutam Ghose (Kalbela and Moner Manush) to Rituparno Ghosh (Shob Charitra Kalponik) and Buddhadeb Dasgupta (the TV series Gangaur), unlike people who wait to work with these names. I like the mix on my CV. It’s got big names as well as names of new directors. That makes it very interesting. And I can’t choose directors, directors choose me.

You’ve done the commercial film Bangla Banchao and you’ll do N.K. Salil’s directorial debut.... Are you looking at crossing the art-commercial divide now?

I am open to all kinds of films, from masala potboilers to meaningful cinema. I started my career with a potboiler like Agnipariksha (directed by Ravi Kinnagi) and I did quite a few masala movies, but suddenly they stopped coming my way. Now I am getting good roles in masala films again and so I am game. Salilda’s film, where I play a gangster, is being produced by Shree Venkatesh Films. So it’s going to be a big film for me under the banner after a long time. The last time I worked with Venkatesh was for the Dev-Payel-starrer I Love You. I am also doing Mainak Bhaumik’s Bedroom opposite Abir Chatterjee.

You’ve lost a lot of weight...

Really? What an irony! When I joined the industry I was tagged as being too fat! I actually started losing weight for my role in Kagojer Bou and I trained under Ranadeep Moitra. Now I live on boiled chicken and grilled fish. I am happy with the way I am. People tell me I am hot!

Doesn’t Tollywood prefer voluptuous heroines?

No, that concept is passe. People now like heroines with toned bodies and I think I am proportionate.