Actor Swastika Dutta’s name comes on top of the list of contemporary promising talents. She likes to experiment with her looks and roles, having donned positive and grey characters across genres in projects like Fatafati, Alaap, Gobhir Joler Maach and more. This time around, she will be seen in the horror-romantic-comedy Bhanupriya Bhooter Hotel directed by Aritra Mukherjee. Here, she shakes a leg while doing tango and also gives the viewers a pleasant Nargis- Raj Kapoor aesthetics of the black and white era. We speak to Swastika to know more about her experience while shooting the film.
Excerpts:
What attracted you towards Bhanupriya Bhooter Hotel?
I have never got such a character in my career graph before. I will thank Zinia Sen for this work. I have heard how Rituparno Ghosh used to draw characters, similarly, Zinia di writes, and then she casts. My characters’ name is Malini, and she is very courageous, filled with love, has her fair share of melancholy, has the urge to fight, and she is very beautiful. The movie also has some amazing songs.
You have learnt and performed tango for the movie. Tell us about the experience.
This is the first time in the Bengali industry that we have performed tango. I think we all looked very hot. I believe whatever you do, do it confidently and enjoy it. Moreover, every song goes well with the whole narrative. Usually, songs add the cherry on top; here, it is a pivotal ingredient of the movie.
Tell us about working with Mimi, Bonny and Soham.
This is my second project with Mimi. With Bonny [ Sengupta], I had done Parbona Ami Charte Toke, almost a decade ago. This is my first work with Soham [ Majumder]. He is a fantastic actor. He gets involved in everything, and that should be the idea. He’s a director’s actor so I loved working with him.
Have you ever faced an eerie incident in life?
I had once gone to perform with my team in the interiors of Bengal. Somehow our chauffeur took the wrong route, and we ended up in a deserted area. We spotted a man on a bicycle wearing a monkey cap, and he told us the correct route. Once we reached the turning point after 45 minutes by car, we saw the same man on his bicycle ahead of us. He stopped in front of the car, grinned and disappeared into pitch blackness.
You are also seen as Professor Bidya Banerjee on TV…