Koel Mallick is busy juggling promotions for her latest release Mitin: Ekti Khunir Sandhaney, keeping a promise to be a part of a colleague’s happy moment, attending to son Kabir when he comes back home, and planning a packed night that will only see her head home in the wee hours, when t2 meets her at The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata, for the shoot of our January 1 cover, flagging off trends that we think will rock in 2026. While we marvel at her work-life balance, Koel’s ease and smile say how much she enjoys the rollercoaster-madness of it all. In the course of our conversation, it’s that deep sense of fulfilment that Koel has with life, one that’s also her fuel, comes back like a leitmotif. Our motto for 2026. Excerpts from a chat with the actor.

It’s almost 2026, so wish you a very Happy New Year, Koel!

Thank you and same to you! May 2026 embrace you with lots of love, happiness, peace, success, and everything that you wish for.

Thank you! Is there a January 1 ritual for you?

I remember there was this December 31 night when (Nispal Singh) Rane (film producer and husband) and I were in Bangkok. So, everybody thought that we’d be partying, but then we were at the gurdwara, and that was the time that we were really praying for everybody’s well-being, and that is something that we always go by. I’d never experienced a 31st night like that. Before that, of course, I’ve always had my own time with my own people. You’ll never find me at parties at all. I’m socially very awkward, number one, and number two, after a certain point in time, I don’t know how to continue with the conversation. With your own people, it’s also not about conversation. It’s just about being with each other.

May the year be kind to everyone. Harmony is something that I’ve been underlining. It’s absolutely about kindness and empathy, and that’s the reason that we are humans, because that’s our identity. Otherwise, without empathy and kindness, I don’t think the world can work. I really want everybody to stay united, stay well, love each other, and care for each other. That is something which is very important. I think it’s time that people should also think about others.

Mental health is something that bothers me. We know the importance of mental health and how we take medicines for a physical ailment, if you need medicine or counselling for your mental health, you should just go for it. Please be kind to everybody. You never know about the struggles they are going through.

What are you taking with you into 2026?

I think I’ve evolved as an individual over the years, and motherhood has also helped me to evolve a lot. I just pray to God that I can raise them to the best of my abilities and inculcate values, principles, the basic morals of life, ethics and behaviour.

The little one is too little to even understand anything. So, I’ve just taught her one thing that… I say, ‘Kavya, where is my best girl?’ And, she points at herself and gives this big grin. Now she’s got eight teeth! (Laughs)

Kabir keeps teasing Kavya. And Kavya loves getting teased. And at the same time, you know, she comes to me as if she is complaining to me about Kabir! (Laughs) I’m like, okay, Kabir, stop it now. And then I look back at Kavya, and she gives a nice and satisfying smile (laughs).

Is Kabir protective of Kavya?

Kabir is very protective and very loving towards his sister. Even when Kavya’s sleeping, I see him, you know, lie down on the bed, and he keeps staring at her. It’s so beautiful. I keep telling Kabir that Kavya is looking at you and she’s going to learn a lot of things from you. So, please behave like a good elder brother. That is his responsibility now. He has to be slightly mature. I think he’s taken a lot of my duty of mothering her up.

What about the work front?

Last year has been very kind to my work front. Sharthopor has been a great winner with the audience. I worked with Baba (Ranjit Mallick) after many years. That itself was a big thing. He’s always been my Santa. With this film, I really couldn’t tell him, ‘Baba, please do it’. I was just, ‘Baba, I think you’re going to like it. Just listen to the script once’. I’m so glad that he said yes.

So, work and family are very clear priorities?

I am a family person. This has always been my life. It’s always been a balance between my family and work. I’m equally committed to both. I found my identity as an actor because of my audience, and I breathe because of my family. I have to take care of everybody who’s around me. It’s my duty as an individual, as a family person. Along with that, definitely, it’s also the commitment that I have towards my audience. I’ve never rested on my laurels, that ‘Oh yeah, it’s been 22 years. I can just come in front of the camera and do anything and get away with that’. I’ve never had that attitude in my life. So even now, when my films release, I have those butterflies in my tummy all through. It’s always been about starting from scratch and proving myself.

What are you leaving behind in 2025?

I think it’s always about wearing your clothes of wisdom with the experiences that you get from your last year. So, there is no particular thing because I think over time I’ve understood that life is too short and unpredictable. It cannot be like, ‘Oh, somebody’s done this to me, and that’s the reason I gave it back to him or her’. It can’t be that way. It’s about clearing my own accounts.

Life is the biggest teacher. This is the best phase of my life, because I know that I’m just being myself, and if I don’t like anything, I’m very open about it. Earlier, even if I didn’t like something, I would just kind of smile and not really let the other person know that I didn’t like this conversation. Nowadays, for some reason, if I don’t like it, I’m just like, you know, please shut up. It’s as direct as that. I think this is easier that way, because sometimes there are so many people who are what they are and I can’t really blame them for that.

I think it’s important that the conversations that we are having should be calming, meaningful, and have some kind of depth, and it is also about connecting with the person. I might as well stay alone and be with myself, rather than hang out with people with whom I can’t connect at all. So, I think I protect my own peace. That is something that I’ve always done.

Of late, life has taken a different kind of meaning because my focus is my children, and I really don’t have that space for any kind of extra drama in life.

We were talking about how life changed after 40…

Absolutely. You know, you feel liberated. You feel this is what I am. And I wish I could be this from my 20s, because earlier on, you are trying to fit in like a puzzle, trying to cut yourself out to just fit into that puzzle. Then, with age and time, I could understand that this is my thing. And if I can place myself in it, good, else I’m just not a part of the picture at all.

It also takes time for you to realise your own strengths and to understand and figure out what you are and who you are actually within you. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve got a big joint family, and I also got into a big family; Rane’s family is also a big joint family. So, the values really match with each other. It’s about enjoying the simple, honest things which will make your life beautiful.

How did the freedom to say ‘no’ impact your life, in hindsight now?

As an actor, definitely there was a thrill of hopping from one film set to another, but I guess the maximum number of films that I would do would be maybe three in one year or four in a year. In a rare year, I had maybe five releases. I was always very firm with my stance. I’ve never been impulsive. Nobody could ever trigger me. So that is something that I feel that I am blessed with.

As you keep growing in your career, how are you choosing your films now?

Oh, I would love to explore more because there are so many stories and characters that I haven’t explored, because I think it’s a blessing to kind of give life to different kind of roles and characters around me. From Sharthopor, I got a lot more confidence in exploring such stories where I know I’m connecting with myself, and I’m so glad that my audience is also connecting to the same.

Are the Mitin Mashi films the first films of yours that you’ll make the kids watch?

Yes, absolutely! Undoubtedly. So, once they grow up, I will definitely make them watch Mitin Mashi, the series, because those are the films I really want them to watch. Kabir is pretty intrigued by the teaser and the trailer. He goes like, ‘Mama, what are you doing? Fighting?’ I keep telling him, ‘Kabir, this is just acting. How they act in Spider-Man’. (Laughs)

I’m very happy that all three Mitin Mashis are so different. This Mitin (Mitin: Ekti Khunir Sandhaney released on December 25) was way more complex because it was a murder mystery. Here, Mitin is more like a chameleon who gets into places to gather information. So, that’s very interesting about Mitin. She’s very on point. She is old school but at the same time, very new age, mentally strong and independent, who knows how to balance her work and personal life, which is definitely worth idolising.

Do you think Mitin struck a chord because she’s so relatable and all of us want to be her in our real lives?

Yes, absolutely. She’s the one who teaches you things that you have to learn and the things that you need to unlearn, you know, like superstitions. She’s strong and has this amazing sixth sense that I think all women are blessed with. So, that’s why her agency’s name is Tritiyo Noyon, like Third Eye agency. The character itself is very inspiring.

What’s on your travel bucket list this year?

Given a chance, I would love to go to Africa. It is a beautiful place. I want to go for a jungle safari there.

Looks curated by: Nil of Dev R Nil
Styling: Sumit Sinha
Hair and make-up: Prasenjit Biswas
Jewellery: Earthaments and Eina Ahluwalia
Location: The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata