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| Sameera Reddy between shots on Tuesday. Picture by Aranya Sen |
Far removed from the sultry siren we have seen on screen, the Bharat Laxmi Studio is playing host to a very different SAMEERA REDDY in an ordinary sari and minimal make-up. The Bollywood beauty famous for her item numbers and dare bare, is here to play Rekha, a simple Bengali girl in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Two Boys and A Girl (working title).
On Tuesday afternoon, Sameera spoke to Mohua Das between her first two shots…
How does it feel to be cast by Buddhadeb Dasgupta again?
A: Being cast again means I have been able to live up to Dada’s expectations. I was actually quite surprised when he chose me for Kaalpurush. Why would he want to cast a Bollywood actress like me, especially for the kind of subject that Kaalpurush dealt with? It became a challenge for me to prove myself. I’m so glad that I was able to do justice to the character I was playing and amazed at how much my looks, body language and expressions came across as completely Bengali.
I feel really proud to have been selected once again and I’m going to put in double the effort this time because Dada has always had a vision and I want to contribute to the best of my ability. I just blindly believe in Dada and agreed to sign up for his film even before I had read the script or learned about my role. I don’t even know about the entire casting until now. He knows how to bully me into slogging it out and I become like a schoolgirl taking all his instructions. I remember this one time during the shooting of Kaalpurush that we worked for 36 hours at a stretch before calling it a day... He brings out the best in me.
Kaalpurush not releasing commercially yet must be disappointing…
It is very upsetting that Kaalpurush has not released till now. The film has won such rave reviews and been quite highly acclaimed at various film festivals… it’s a pity that it hasn’t made it to the cinema halls yet. My heart literally bleeds when I think about it.
How would you describe your role in this film?
I play a sweet and simple young girl called Rekha. She is a budding dancer who comes from a small town and lives in a rented flat trying to make a mark. I’m quite comfortable in the image of a girl next door and I’m trained in kathak, which helps my character seem more authentic… I was quite moved by the subject of the film because it deals with an issue (voyeurism) that does plague our society today. Now with all these new-age gadgets, illegal videotaping seems to have become quite rampant. The context of the film is very real and Dada explores the trauma of the victim as well as the thought process of those indulging in the crime.
Will you dub for your second Bengali film?
A: I could not dub for Kaalpurush but have been trying to improve my Bengali, so let’s hope that I’ll be able to dub this time.
Are you trying to re-invent yourself with such films?
I have tried to reinvent myself with each of my films. In my first film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, I played this innocent and naive girl. Then, I came to be branded as a sex-symbol for my item numbers and roles in films like Darna Mana Hai and Musafir. I believe in being versatile which I think is the mark of a real actress. People fail to realise that one may be capable of much more than just the image that they are typically identified with. People have usually seen me in a western light but my background is very Indian. I have never learnt western dance and like a perfect south Indian, I love wearing saris. Sporting a sari and playing a typical Indian girl comes naturally to me.
Were you aware of Prosenjit’s star status here before meeting him on the sets?
I had heard of Prosenjit but had the opportunity to meet him for the first time on the sets of this film. It was after getting to Calcutta that I realised how popular a name he is in Bengal. I remember my mother telling me that she used to be a fan of his father Biswajit and I’ve seen Prosenjit in films like Chokher Bali and Swapner Din. I’m definitely looking forward to working with him.
What is your take on Bengali films?
I really respect Bengali cinema the way they are being made these days. Directors like Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Rituparno Ghosh know how to make a difference. Their ideas and concepts are very intense and make for meaningful cinema. There is nothing superficial about these films and it’s a great opportunity for me to be a part of it.
How long will you be in Calcutta? Any special plans?
I’ll be in Calcutta for a month but unlike last time I have refused to stay put in a hotel room. It felt claustrophobic. So, this time around I insisted on living in a Bengali household. I’m staying with a family friend in their house on Ballygunge Circular Road. Since I’ll have more time in hand, I want to go to the gym and visit a couple of places that I could not the last time. I shall surely make the most of my stay in Calcutta (smiles).
Finally, what films do you have lined up?
Well, I’m waiting for Ahmed Khan’s Fool and Final starring Shahid Kapur, Sunny Deol, Viveik Oberoi, Bipasha Basu slated for a January 2007 release and then Anees Bazmee’s Benaam. That apart, I’m currently shooting for a period film called Ghulami by Tigmanshu Dhulia. I was meant to do Raj Kumar Santoshi’s London Dreams but date problems cropped up while shooting for Naksha.
HEROSPEAK...
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On Tuesday afternoon, Prosenjit arrived on the sets of Two Boys and A Girl straight from Goa after attending the 37th International Film Festival of India.
Prosenjit plays Dilip, a young man who comes from Behrampore to live in Calcutta. “I play a surveillance operator in-charge of close-circuit cameras and a computer expert. I’m supposed to be this hardcore romantic with a certain madness that makes him very different. I will need six to seven days to sink into the complex character of Dilip,” said the Tollywood superstar, working with Dasgupta for the second time after Swapner Din.
“I was so eager to work with Buddhadebda that I hurriedly finished off all my other assignments to devote all my time to this film.”