Actress Swastika Mukherjee, who splits her time between Kolkata and Mumbai balancing film and OTT work, believes that artists should never be identified by their place of origin.

Swastika stated that she despises it when anyone from the industry outside WestBengal refers to her as a “Bengali actress”. Her skills had nothing to do with the language she speaks at home, the actress said.

“Why such labels? Do we call an actor speaking in Hindi a Hindi actress? Are actors working in the Mumbai film industry identified by their places of origin? I had spoken about this in the past too. Is there any problem in referring to us as Indian actors?” she told PTI.

The Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! actress, who was praised for her roles in the web series Paatal Lok and film Dil Bechara, also revealed that she had portrayed a variety of characters over the previous two decades but had never had the opportunity to play a differently-abled woman, which she had always wanted to do.

When asked how her experience on OTT platforms differed from her experience in films, the 41-year-old actress, who made her Bengali film debut with Hemanter Pakhi, said that it was always a good idea to try new mediums.

Talking about her role in Escaype Live, a new series on Disney+ Hotstar, she said, “It's a complex character that I play. It's not something that I did before.”

“Many of my performances on OTTs have been appreciated, including this latest one. When it comes to acting, you have to put in your best efforts, no matter what the medium,” she added.

Often in controversy for her statements, Swastika, who is active on social media, said that she usually does not give importance to what her trolls say, albeit “sometimes it can get annoying”.

“They just represent herd mentality. Every step taken by an actor gets discussed on social media. You cannot help but feel annoyed at times,” she said.

Speaking about her latest venture Shrimati, a Bengali film helmed by Arjun Dutta, the actress said that she was playing a homemaker, who goes unrecognised despite all that she does for the family.

“I have seen my mother, she was a 'dasabhuja' (10 hands like that of Goddess Durga). A woman does not have to have a flourishing career to be empowered. She can have a mind of her own and act independently, with or without a full-time job. I essay the role of a woman who is independent as well as soft and vulnerable,” she added.