Sreelekha at home. Pictures: Pabitra Das

It’s been a busy Tuesday for her. She has cooked lunch — boiled veggies, maachher jhol and lau ghonto — for her eight-year-old daughter Maiya and herself. “Now that I am single, I have to worry about everything. From my daughter’s tiffin to whether my driver, who’s also a theatre artiste, will turn up on time or not! It’s not easy,” says she, sipping on green tea and settling down for a free-wheeling chat with t2 at her apartment in Kamalgazi.

So no carb for lunch? Dieting?

I am a foodie and I love to eat. But just a few days back I thought of getting back to shape. So no rice, no roti. Only boiled vegetables, chicken and fish. And in between I munch on nuts.

You seem to be too preoccupied with household chores...

Shiladitya (husband) and I have separated mutually, but he is just a phone call away. If I have to be out for long, Shiladitya comes and gives her (Maiya) company. We are two mature individuals and we share that level of understanding. I am not one of those single mothers whose ex-husbands don’t bother to keep in touch. Shiladitya is a very responsible, loving and doting dad. But the daily chores you are talking about, yes, I am doing it for the first time. I had thought it would be a huge problem, moving out and staying alone with my daughter, but it’s not so. I am managing it very well. Post-separation I have become a much more responsible person. From managing my staff to going grocery shopping, paying the electricity bills…

Sreelekha with daughter

But being independent, once again, has its own share of fun, don’t you think?

Yes, sometimes I pat my back and say ‘Yes, Sreelekha you can do it!’ But it’s not always fun because at times you miss a man around. But thik achhe, life teaches you certain things and today I am a stronger person. I enjoy this new-found strength, I always thought I was very weak. Earlier I was judgemental, now I am more accepting.

What do you do in your me-time?

I am a bookworm. I love to read. Besides, you know, I had a dream of having a huge LCD TV in my bedroom. Now I have one and at night I watch Homeland, Criminal Minds, Political Animals, Betrayal, Bigg Boss 7.... TV has become an integral part of my life now. And I love to cook. In fact, it’s Shiladitya who got me interested in cooking. He is an excellent cook.

What are you reading now?

Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. I am also reading The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino.

You seem to be happy now...

But there are moments of sadness, loneliness.... I have been married for 10 years, so that baggage will always be there. And it wasn’t a bad marriage after all. I think the decision we’ve taken is right. A lot of single mothers or single women told me, ‘You could do it because you are financially independent.’ But I think women lack courage and stay on in a relationship. That is not right. We have just one life. Being happy is most important. Both my daughter and I have gone through extensive counselling after the separation and we are doing fine. The problem isn’t with us. The problem lies with the society, with the people in the neighbourhood, their comments, the way some of them flaunt their husbands in front of me, their stares, their curiosity about why I don’t stay with my husband…. Women in our country still don’t get the respect they deserve. Yes, I am single. But I’m not ready to mingle. Just because I am single, a lot of men think, ‘Oh Sreelekha Mitra is easily available.’ My answer to them is ‘no, I’m not’! I have never been available.

What’s your message for single mothers?

Don’t compromise. Live with dignity. Live life according to your terms, live life with your head held high.

On the work front, things are looking up with three releases lined up....

Yes, after a long time, in November, December and January. For a very long time, I have had no releases and I was only seen at premieres of other people’s films (laughs).There’s Anik Dutta’s Aschorjyo Prodeep, Pendulum (directed by Soukarya Ghoshal) and Sandip Ray’s untitled film. I enjoyed working in these films because I have very different roles. In Aschorjyo Prodeep, I play Saswata’s (Chatterjee) nagging wife, in Pendulum I’m a housewife and in Babuda’s (Sandip) film I am paired with Saswata again. I don’t get too much work and that’s the reason I do such few films. I have kept my lifestyle simple, so even if I work less I manage well. I don’t live a very high-flying life. I am very rooted. Yes, there are financial lows at times but I have my savings.

Mom and daughter whip up a storm in the kitchen

Does Maiya watch your films?

Sometimes she accompanies me to the sets of Mirakkel. I try and keep her away from the limelight, even Shiladitya likes it that way. She once watched the mega serial Probahini Ei Shomoy and that particular episode was about Bratya (Basu, who played Sreelekha’s husband) beating me up. She got very upset after watching that episode. After that I try and keep a watch on what she is watching on TV. Now she has grown up a bit... so while browsing channels, if she sees me doing a romantic scene with a hero, she immediately asks, ‘Ma, what’s this?’ So I tell her, ‘Maiya, this is cinema. It’s not real.’ And she is okay. But I will show her my work when she grows up. Why not? She should see how hard her Ma worked to bring her up. This is my bread and butter and if a script demands me to wear a certain kind of outfit, I will wear it, or I have to do a particular kind of scene, I will do it. I will never say no because Maiya is growing up. Today’s kids are much more exposed and I am sure she will respect my work when she grows up.

Sreelekha’s recipes for t2 readers:

Chicken soup: Pressure-cook the chicken for seven minutes. Toss in chopped carrot, capsicum, beans and pressure-cook again for five minutes. Add a little cornflour and a beaten egg, stir and sprinkle a few parsley leaves and serve.

Mutton curry: Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic paste and mustard oil. Chop onions and fry. Add cumin powder, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Pressure-cook for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of ghee and garam masala. Serve!