Koena Mitra at Afraa. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Calcutta girl Koena Mitra was in town for a party at Afraa on Thursday. A t2 chat...

On returning to her hometown after almost two years…

It feels great. I have been missing home, Bangali khabar, my family. I am looking forward to meeting my friends after so long.

On her brush with Hollywood…

You know, it is difficult to get work in Hollywood. So I was like a student learning new stuff while shooting for two English films. The experience has been great. The first film is Story of Naomi, where I play the title role, and the other is Dark Romance, which deals with the different shades in a relationship. I am still shooting for the latter in Los Angeles. I play a Latin girl in both the films. While the former is a mix of arthouse and commercial, primarily because of the ’50s-’60s look of the film, Dark Romance is an out-and-out commercial flick.

On Bolly projects…

I have signed two movies and I will start shooting in June. One is a comedy... a one-girl-one-boy film with a first-time director. The second is a multi-starrer. You should start hearing about them post-April.

On doing reality shows on TV…

I don’t see myself in something like Bigg Boss. I am sorry to say this but it is too shady. Every year they call, but I somehow can’t make myself do it. Lately, I have been watching this show called Sach Ka Saamna (on Life Ok). I love the energy it has and I think Rajeev (Khandelwal) does a fantastic job hosting it. If I get a chance to host a show like that, I would take it up immediately. But I am definitely not sitting in that hot seat! It takes a lot of courage!

On why she would “love to do” a Tollywood film…

The look of Bengali films, the flavour, the faces, the music, the DoPs… everything has changed. It is fantastic. If I get something exciting, I will definitely take it up. See, if I do a Bengali film, everyone from my parents to my schoolteachers will watch it. They will expect a lot. That is why I want to choose a project very carefully. Money, cast, banner are not an issue.

On body image and showing skin on screen...

More than image, I think knowledge is very important in such matters. Research is the key, so doctors should be consulted for everything. As for skin show, today every film is bold — either the story or the character. What matters is your role. If I see that the director will do a great job with me, if I can trust him, then skin show is secondary. I won’t do something just to be different or to stand out.