Sreelekha Mitra

Here’s some good news for those who were missing Sreelekha Mitra in daily soaps. The actress is returning with the mega serial Dui Bhubaner Pare on Rupashi Bangla. Sreelekha had decided to stay away from daily soaps following her outing in STAR Jalsha’s Bandhan last year. She found the 16 to 18-hour work schedule too demanding.

“I have agreed to do Dui Bhubaner Pare because I have a special appearance in it, which means I don’t have to slog everyday. Besides, a good banner like Surinder Films (Paglu) is producing it. I had said no to mega serials because I wasn’t getting any challenging roles, neither was I getting to play my age.... But I can’t talk about my role in the new serial at this point,” said Sreelekha.

Come December, she will also be seen in Debarati Gupta’s untitled telefilm, revolving around an actress’s life. “It’s a very interesting role of an actress from the ’80s who couldn’t achieve the kind of stardom she wanted,” says Sreelekha, who continues to sizzle on reality TV though — as a judge on Zee Bangla’s Mirakkel Akkel Challenger 6. “I don’t have a problem with TV as long as I have the time to do films and other things. I enjoy doing Mirakkel. It’s fun,” she adds.

Taking her stint in television a step forward, Sreelekha is turning producer, along with her husband Shiladitya Sanyal, with the reality show Sasur Bajaay Dhol, which goes on air next week on Rupashi Bangla. “Our company Bindaas Films will produce the show on mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pairs. The two will play a few rounds of games with the father-in-law sitting in judgement!” says Sreelekha.

In films, Sreelekha is shooting for her guest appearance in Ashoke Vishwanathan’s Shanti Niketan in Santiniketan. Two of her films, Katakuti and Bhooter Bhabishyat, are slated for a December release.