She studied at NIFT Salt Lake, worked with Sabyasachi Mukherjee, hung out at Princeton Club and misses Calcutta’s ghugni. Designer-turned-actor Divya Menon made a noteworthy debut as Satyabati opposite Sushant Singh Rajput in Dibakar Banerjee’s Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! two years ago. 

Stumbling into acting by chance — she was spotted by Dibakar while working with Sabya, and offered the role — Divya has now shifted to Mumbai. Her second film, Mona Darling, is currently playing in theatres. t2 caught up with the “Calcuttan-at-heart” girl for a chat.       

You got into acting quite by chance. What’s the journey been like after your big-ticket debut?

It’s been a struggle inside my own head, actually. I was literally pushed into this profession. It was a gift, but at that time, I wasn’t as confident as I am now. Now, if someone gives me a script, I know I can shoulder the responsibility of my character. But at that time, there was a lot of pressure on me… from Sabya (she worked as the star Calcutta-based designer’s assistant) as well as from my parents. Because I was doing something for the first time, I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

It was a Yash Raj and Dibakar Banerjee film… two big names. I didn’t want people to say that she was given such a huge opportunity and she just wasted it. That time I did it more for people, but now I am doing it for myself because I have discovered that acting gives me something that no other profession does… even though I am a designer, acting gives me the outlet for creative expression like no other. Now I feel comfortable calling myself an actor. I think this is something I want to do for the rest of my life.

What happens to designing then?

Ah, I would like to keep it because I don’t like doing anything by half-measure. I used to have a band in college and I used to play the guitar and sing as well and I haven’t left that… I still do my riyaaz. But right now, my focus is on acting and getting more projects. Bombay is like that… you have to be on top of things. Also, I want to learn as much as I can… I also want to do theatre. 

Does Sabyasachi follow your career?

Absolutely! We meet a lot. I did walk the ramp for him in one of his recent shows… it was a private show. We chatted for a long time, before and after. It’s always fun to meet him. He thinks I still am the same girl. He keeps saying, ‘I’ve seen this work of yours… I’ve seen that ad of yours’. He always has something very different to say about what I do and I am always surprised by how much he knows what I am doing.

Sabya has this knack of finding something good in people more than anyone else. He’s the one who put me on this platform and made me an actor. He’s like a godfather to me… I keep telling him that he is my second father. He just brushes it aside (laughs). He’s kept his doors open for me… he’s told me I can always go back whenever I want to. 

Tell us about your Calcutta connection…

I lived in Calcutta for nine years, till I shifted to Bombay 10 months ago. My family still lives there… Ballygunge Circular Road. I am a Calcuttan at heart. My mom and dad are both in love with Calcutta. My dad is a lot into music and he follows a lot of Calcutta-based bands. He actually has a nightlife, which I don’t! (Laughs) I graduated from NIFT in Salt Lake. I loved Salt Lake because I went to college there. Most Calcutta people don’t understand how Salt Lake works because of the tank numbers and sectors, but I did! I was in Salt Lake first and then got introduced to the rest of the city, which is strange. I just loved taking a rickshaw in Salt Lake… time slows down…. It’s beautiful. 

I used to love hanging out in Southern Avenue as well. I would go to the gigs at Princeton Club. It was a really cool place.... Now that I am in Bombay, I really miss Calcutta’s food. I miss the ghugni… you don’t get ghugni like Calcutta anywhere else. When people talk of pani puri here, I am like, ‘Call it phuchka’! And the phuchka paani just doesn’t taste the same in Bombay. I also miss luchis. Tangra food I miss… that Indian-Chinese (laughs). 

Your second film Mona Darling released last Friday. What made you take the jump from Byomkesh to a social media thriller?

When I read the script, I found the sci-fi elements fascinating. It’s a whodunit, and I am a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. The main heroine of the film is my character and I was really kicked to play her because I have grown up reading Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Shashi (Sudigala), my director who has also written the script, had given me a treatment note with the script… it had the look and feel of the film and it mentioned some of my favourite TV shows like Fringe and (The) X-Files. That is what sold the film to me. 

Would you ever look at doing a Bangla film? Your looks and familiarity with the language are definite advantages…

I do understand Bengali and I can speak a little bit. I see a lot of people coming from outside and learning the language and I feel it will be much easier for me to do it… in Sabya’s factory, he employs over 1,000 people and they all speak Bengali!
I watch Swastika’s (Mukherjee) films because I am a huge fan (smiles). I recently watched Parno’s (Mittra) and Neha Panda’s film (The Bongs Again) because they are my friends. I think the biggest challenge for me if I ever do a Bengali film will be to perfect the subtlety.