Sudipta at her Gol Park home. Picture: Pabitra Das

She has been inundated with phone calls and congratulatory messages after the release of Bunohaans. Sudipta Chakraborty looks happy to be back in the spotlight after a decade of winning the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for Rituparno Ghosh’s Bariwali. A t2 chat...

How do you look back at the Bunohaans experience?

(Laughs) It has been wonderful. Both Tonyda (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) and I had wanted to work together for a long time. Initially, I was a bit unsure since the sister-in-law really had nothing much to contribute to Amal’s (Dev) journey. But after I went through the script, I thought the character was well-written and well placed in the world of the story.

You are considered a cinematographer’s delight…

I remember an incident while shooting Kalpurush for Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Pupu (Sudeep Chatterjee) was the cinematographer. After I had given a shot with Mithunda (Chakraborty), he came up to me and gushed, “What did you just do, Tumpa? You gave me goosebumps! Your eyes!” That was very humbling, coming from someone like him. There were other DoPs too who would say that I emote well with my eyes. Touchwood…

So then why don’t we see you more often on the big screen?

See, I have done Kalpurush, Nobel Chor, Abosheshey, C/O Sir, amongst others, and I am proud of these films and of my characters. Also, I used to think that people would approach me with meaty roles. That did not happen. Maybe I should not have expected that.… People thought I belonged to the Rituparno Ghosh camp, but then he too never repeated me! And if today, people know me as an able actor, it is because of his Bariwali and the recognition it got me. But that National Award for Best Supporting Actress (for Bariwali) has stuck to me for good. (Smiles) I got labelled as a ‘supporting actress’ in so-called art cinema. Never got an opportunity to showcase what I was capable of…

How do you react to this label of ‘supporting actress’?

I strongly object to it! Who am I supporting, pardon me?! If there is anything we are supporting, it is the content of the film. Hence, it should be ‘actor/actress in a supporting role’. But no one realises this. And you know what? It is not so in theatre…

Film or theatre — what do you enjoy more?

It’s nothing like that. It could even be a mega serial. There was a time when I used to act in television soaps. My characters went by the names of Rai and Teesta. Even today I am proud of that work. So, whichever medium gives me a meaningful character, that’s my medium.

And which one is more difficult — acting in theatre or in film?

Definitely theatre. There is nowhere to hide. In film, a close-up takes care of your inability to do anything with your hands while delivering a line but in theatre, that’s not possible. In film, the camera controls the medium. It directs the audience to see what it wishes them to see. In theatre, however, they are free to see what they want to. So, as an actor, you’re more vulnerable in theatre than in film. Finally, cinema is the director’s medium, while theatre is the actor’s.

What do you look for in a character?

It has to be a good story. Without a strong storyline, a good film is impossible. Second, my character has to contribute to the plot. Basically, a three-dimensional character that makes sense and does things, rather than a cardboard cut-out. I am not averse to any kind of role in any kind of cinema — mainstream or offbeat — but my character needs to be well etched out.

Sudipta and Dev in Bunohaans

Tell us how you prepare for any role…

I don’t…. Long back my father (actor Biplab Ketan Chakraborty) had told me that an actor should not ‘act’, he/she should ‘just behave the way the character is supposed to behave’. I do just that. As I read a script, I understand the situation, I know my lines, and then I simply react to my co-actors on the film set. But I do think of the characters that I am playing, how they’ll walk, how they’ll talk… things like that… For instance, the maid (from Bariwali) would walk and talk differently from the prostitute (from Mondo Meyer Upakhyan). That internal preparation is there…

What’s your dream role?

To play the princess Malanchi Koinya in the play Madhab Malanchi Koinya. I just love that character... she dances, she sings, she fights. What a woman! Then there are the characters played by Shabana Azmi in Arth, by Smita Patil in Mirch Masala, by Octavia Spencer in The Help. Also, Konkona’s (Sensharma) character in Goynar Baksho and Kareena Kapoor’s in Jab We Met.

How have you evolved as an actor over the years?

Not only as an actor, but also as a human being. I have become more practical. Today, I understand how films work. My attitude towards people has changed. Previously, I would be brutally vocal if I didn’t like anything. Today, I am more balanced, even in my criticism. Early on, I would never ask for work. But someone told me something very interesting — Bachcha naa kaandle Maa- dudh daay naa (Even the mother doesn’t feed her baby till it cries). That changed my worldview, in a way. I started expressing my wish to work with certain people. Tonyda was one of them. (Smiles)

Your most cherished dream?

My most cherished dream… to work in Hollywood! (Laughs)