Why the three-year gap before signing another film with Dev?

Maybe the directors didn’t feel like casting us together. Maybe the time wasn’t right. See, I believe there’s a perfect time for everything and this is our time. And by the way, we are not doing one film, Dev and I are doing two films together— Tonyda’s (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) Buno Haash and Rajib’s (husband) Bindaas. I won’t be able to tell you the exact reason why we didn’t do another film after Dujone (2009) and Shedin Dekha Hoyechilo (2010). There were date issues too.

Is it also because you started working more with Jeet?

Not at all. I have done two films with Dev, I did two films with Ankush (Kanamachi, Idiot), I did films with Soham (Amanush, Phande Poriya Boga Kande Re), I did three films with Jeetda.... It’s just that Dev and I were not offered a film.

What do you play in Bindaas and Buno Haash?

In Bindaas I play an orphan. Chiranjitkaku plays Dev’s father and my dad’s friend. So he brings me up. I am like the daughter of the house, very pampered..... I shot for a few days in Hyderabad. Now we will start shooting for the Bolpur leg.

In Buno Haash, I am paired opposite Dev but it’s slightly different in the sense that I play a patient who’s suffering from a terminal illness. Dev plays my best friend. It’s a different kind of bond that the two share. Buno Haash goes on the floors after the Pujas. I love my role in the film!

Three years is a long time. Were both of you comfortable on the first day on the sets of Bindaas?

See, the first day is always the most difficult because you take time to settle down. Yes, we were working after a long time. We discussed the scenes and the dialogues a little more than we usually do. We did a lot of rehearsals. But even if we didn’t do films we would meet often at social gatherings. So shooting was fun. Dev has improved a lot, his acting has got better!

According to you, which heroine looks best opposite Dev?

According to me, Subhashree looks best opposite Dev! (Laughs) Ask me why? Because height-wise Subhashree is a match for Dev. Both are very good dancers plus both have given so many hits together. Bhalo laage dujonei lomba lomba!

You’ve done films with both the superstars — Dev and Jeet. Who do you enjoy working with more?

See, both of them are different human beings. Dev is a prankmaster! He pulls my leg on the sets all the time. We get angry, we fight.... He plays prank not just on me but from the hairdresser to the technicians, Dev will not spare anyone on the sets! Khoob moja laagey amaar. Jeetda is totally different. He too likes having fun but, you know, because he is elder to us and has been in the industry for such a long time, he is more like a guardian on the sets, guiding us on expressions, lights, angle.... Plus, Jeetda takes us down memory lane. Dev is more the bindaas boy! One moment you will catch him playing cricket on the sets and the next moment he is shooting. Dev is a kid!

Which other hero would you like to work with in Tollywood...

I have worked with Abirda (Chatterjee in Kanamachi), not as a heroine though. I would love to be paired opposite him and also Paramda (Parambrata Chattopadhyay).Who else is there? Oh yes, Indraneilda (Sengupta). I want to work with all the heroes of Tollywood!

After Goynar Baksho did you expect to get offers for more off-beat films?

I am doing Buno Haash. I am getting a lot of offers from off-beat films.

Koel Mallick is the heroine number one when it comes to Bengali commercial films. Do you consider yourself number two?

I don’t believe in numbers, not at all. Time is the best thing, you know. Sometimes my time is good, sometimes somebody else’s time is better. Number one, number two is something that doesn’t exist in my dictionary. I want to do good work. My work is my dream. I have been a part of this industry since I was a child. And I can’t be anything else apart from being an actress. Acting is my passion. I love acting and I have secured my future with acting. People come for my autograph, they love me wherever I go. They ask me what my next film is. I want to be happy, that’s it.

You started as a child artiste in Tollywood. Over the years what changes have you noticed in the industry...

Yes, it’s been a long time, really, 17 years to be precise. I started working in 1996! I have seen a lot of changes over the years. There are so many channels now, my god! Budgets have shot up, films never travelled outside India before! DI (digital intermediate) has made our films on a par with Bollywood. Songs are being shot on virgin locations abroad. There has been a tremendous growth.

On the personal front, the buzz is that things are not working out between you and Rajib...

(Laughs) I will not say anything now. Only time will tell. Whatever decisions we will take, people will come to know about that. You too will come to know about it!