Raima poses for the t2 camera

A nondescript house in a dingy lane off Beadon Street was abuzz with activity on Wednesday afternoon. Converted to create the look and feel of a Sonagachhi brothel, the old three-storied house in Haritaki Bagan Lane had wall graffiti like ‘no condom, no sex’, posters of semi-clad women and some phone numbers scribbled on the walls. It was here that Raima Sen —pretty as ever in a red-and-grey skirt and rust-coloured choli — was shooting for her new Bolly film Bollywood Diaries, in which she plays a sex worker called Imli.

“I am very excited about my role. Imli is very filmi and the film has a lot of drama… so it’s good fun. I wanted to do this film the moment I read the script. I have not done something like this before… it’s amazing,” smiled Raima, while touching up her make-up and hair in between shots.

Directed by K.D. Satyam, the man who wrote the critically acclaimed 2012 film Gattu, Bollywood Diaries focuses on the trials and tribulations of Imli who aspires to be a Bolly star and is a die-hard fan of adult entertainer-turned-Bolly-actress Sunny Leone! “Imli believes that if Sunny could make it big in Bollywood, she can do the same. I watched the Baby doll video (from Ragini MMS 2 featuring Sunny). I have done a dance in the film, but made it my own,” smiled Raima.

Raima with a co-star during the shoot

“Raima has the innocence to play Imli and that’s why we chose her,” Satyam told t2. Raima revealed that during casting, Satyam told her: “I don’t know why all the directors make you cry. You look so good when you laugh!”

Raima, who has Eklavya, Mirch, Dus... to her name, last shot for a Bolly film in Calcutta a decade ago — Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta starring Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, in which she played Vidya Balan’s cousin. “Shooting in Calcutta means after pack-up, I can go home,” grinned Raima, who plans to invite the cast and crew over to her Ballygunge Circular Road address for “home-cooked food” soon.

Paired opposite Raima is Vineet Kumar Singh, who played Amitabh Bachchan’s fan in Murabba, the Anurag Kashyap-directed short in last year’s Bombay Talkies. Bollywood Diaries also stars Ashish Vidyarthi. The film is being shot at various outdoor locations in Calcutta and its outskirts.

(L-R) Vineet Kumar Singh, Raima and director K.D. Satyam during the lunch break on Wednesday at the Beadon Street shooting site

After the shoot every day, the cast and crew that has been parked in Calcutta since November 2, has a clear agenda: to gorge on the city’s famous food. Satyam described Calcutta as “a beautiful place with outstanding food”. Wherever you put the camera, the frame is set, he added. Till now, the team has savoured the Bengali fare at 6 Ballygunge Place and Bhojohori Manna with plans to land up at Kewpie’s soon.

Vineet is hoping to meet Bachchan, who is shooting in the city for Shoojit Sircar’s Piku, “if he is free”. “I follow his tweets,” smiled Vineet. The former assistant of director Mahesh Manjrekar has been enjoying his diet of mishti doi, jhaal muri and phuchka after pack-up.