Picture: Anindya Shankar Ray; Make-up & styling: Kaushik & Rajat; Location: ITC Sonar Calcutta

People are likely to compare your March 2 release Charulata 2011 with Satyajit Ray’s Charulata. What are your thoughts?

Probably they will, but I think everyone knows by now that Charulata 2011 is not a remake. I mean no one dares to remake Ray’s Charulata. It’s a classic. Period. Besides, thematically and content-wise they are two different films and so it will be foolish if people go to watch the film thinking it would be similar to the Ray film. But yes, there’s a subtle connection with Ray’s Charulata because loneliness plays an important part and triggers a lot of incidents in both films. Charulata 2011 is a modern film with contemporary thoughts. The male-female relationship is ultra contemporary and GenX will be able to relate to the story.

What do you play in the film?

I play Chaity, a devoted housewife to Bikram (Arjun Chakraborty), who is 14 years older than her. But that’s not the reason why their marriage is slowly hitting rock bottom. One of the major reasons is that there’s a sexual void in Chaity. The passion is missing. Bikram takes Chaity for granted. For him, Chaity is there to take care of him. But Chaity wants an outlet for her emotions, desires and, of course, her sexual urges. There’s a side to her that her husband hasn’t discovered. There’s a girl in her that needs to be nurtured and paid attention to. Chaity wants to come out of her boring married life where she has just one role — that of a full-time housewife.

And then she strikes up a friendship with a man her age. They are chat friends. Dibyendu plays this character. What starts off as a beautiful friendship turns into a fatal attraction and leaves both of them devastated. But it also liberates her, you know, and that is what makes Chaity very flesh and blood. Her dilemma, her sense of guilt, the fact that she tries her best not to get into bed with the other man is very contemporary. I have quite a few women acquaintances who’ve made such choices in life and have met the same fate as Chaity’s. Chaity wants to stop it at one point of time but the excitement is just too much to resist!

Are there a lot of bold scenes with you and Dibyendu?

Yes, there are a few making-out scenes but not very explicit. They were shot very aesthetically.... I didn’t know Dibyendu before. When Agni (director Agnidev Chatterjee) suggested his name, I said okay. After working in so many films all these years, I have become very professional and I know how to make my co-actors comfortable in intimate scenes. There wasn’t any problem at all. It’s not that we had to take off our clothes and expose a lot. The theme of the film is bold, so we didn’t need to be too bold.

Personally, do you think boredom in marriage naturally leads to flings?

Not always. Just because one is bored, he or she will go out and have a fling isn’t right. I think all problems in marriage can be sorted out through discussions. However, I don’t mind friendship with a man outside marriage. But it’s important to know where to draw the line. A married woman or man must be careful not to hurt anyone. I think one should be loyal in a relationship, that’s very important, and flings should be avoided as much as possible.

You’ve been married for many years, have you hit the boredom phase yet?

No, not yet! (Laughs.) Sanjay (husband) and I crave to be with each other. The only constant problem that we have in our marriage is that we cannot spend much time together. He wasn’t there with me this Valentine’s Day either, which isn’t a good thing. But perhaps because of the distance (Sanjay works in Singapore), I guess we aren’t bored of each other.

Have you ever fallen in love post-marriage, or had a fling?

No. Hole janabo! Because I am an actress, I have admirers everywhere. See, there will be temptations but whether you want to give in to that and ruin what you have is up to you. It’s about the choices you make. But frankly, if I ever have a fling I would let the world know and also let the world know the reason behind it!

Would you be able to forgive your husband if he had a fling?

See, there’s a lot of love, attention and understanding between my husband and me. I guess I will forgive him once I know why it happened.... (Pauses) I am very forgiving, but on second thoughts, no I won’t forgive him for this.

Do you think it’s possible to be loyal to one person forever?

Yes it is possible. If the relationship is sorted out from the beginning then it’s possible. If there’s a lot of affection then it’s possible. It’s very easy to break a marriage or a relationship and walk away. But to face the problems, rather get to the root of the problem, talk it out, come up with a solution and be together again is a big thing.

What would you do if you fell in love with someone else?

I will choose either or. I won’t cheat on my husband and keep the relationship going. I will either walk out or I will stop myself from falling for another man. I have a strong will power and I respect the sanctity of marriage. I have a great married life and nothing can break it. It’s rock solid.