Perhaps one of the most unfailing talents in the realm of Bong telly, Debjani Chatterjee is definitely a household name - you may know her as the uber glamorous sitcom antagonist or from her roles in films like ‘Le Chakka’ or ‘Durga Sohay’, but Chatterjee can hardly be missed. The actor, who's all set to start shooting for Arjunn Dutta's next ensemble drama ‘Guldasta’, has no hang-ups about her on-screen trajectory. We caught up with the versatile actor during the unveiling of Guldasta's title at ITC Sonar, where we found her all geared up for the much-anticipated project. "People mostly know me from my roles in Bengali shows, where I'm almost always cast as this negative presence, as this really glamorous villain maybe. So, I'm always looking for roles which are different, and this one really is," Debjabi informs us.
In ‘Guldasta’ she will share the screen with powerhouse names like Swastika Mukherjee and Arpita Chatterjee - an incredible trio of protagonists, just when the Bengali cinema was in screaming need of more women-led movies. But Debjani and Arjunn go way back; in fact, the director almost considers the actor his lucky charm, as she was cast in his acclaimed short film ‘The 6th Element’ as well as in his last film ‘Abyakto’, where he created a role especially for her. "I didn’t really know Arjunn before ‘The 6th Element’, which was his short film; he called me up about this role in his film in 2016, and he's a person who cast me without any reservation. We all know there are some aspects of favouritism which work in this industry - though he has developed a bias for me now (laughs). So, that's how we began working together and I like his scripts so much, and he practically thinks I'm his lady luck so he must cast me in every film, but I've always felt he's meant for bigger things and he must aspire to make major cinema," Debjani adds.
In ‘Guldasta’, she plays a docile Bengali homemaker named Renu, whose life revolves around her family - a stark contrast to most characters she has played over the years, and that's precisely why the actor is looking forward to this. "This is the first time I'm doing something like this, a role so different than the ones people are used to seeing me in. I'm excited about that, and of course, I'm really looking forward to working with Swastika and Arpita, they are so talented and have a lot of experience as well and sharing a screen with them is bound to be amazing,” the actor remarks. Debjani also tells us how the Bengali audiences have evolved over the last few years. “They have changed obviously, they want different things. Now everyone’s exposed to the streaming circuit and everyone’s on Netflix or something else. Younger viewers, especially, want something new and fresh,” she adds.