Special: Actor Devlina Kumar prefers to take the tougher route to fame in the film industry

The actor shines in her role in Raajhorshee De's Abar Kanchanjangha
Devlina Kumar
Devlina Kumar

Even after five years of being in Tollywood, actor and acclaimed danseuse Devlina Kumar is still on a journey of finding her place under the Tollywood sun. The actress, who made her big-screen debut in Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta starrer Praktan had impressed all with her act in Chol Kuntal, Haami and Abar Basanta Bilap and her moves in the song Rangabati from the film Gotro, is hands down the most viral Bengali song in recent times.

And now, the actor is playing one of the leading ladies in Raajhorshee De's film Abbar Kanchanjangha which has been released in theatres today. She plays

Angelina, a non-Bengali Christian from Mumbai who acts in Hindi television serials. She has a love marriage with a Bengali boy and the film shows how she adjusts to everything, from culture to language and puts in an honest effort to fit into the family. It's a very innocent character that delivers a strong message in the climax. 

<em>Devlina Kumar</em>
Devlina Kumar

"It was interesting to play a character like this since I am a full-on Bengali and I had to speak broken Bengali and bring out that typical body language of the Hindi TV industry actors. So, it was a great experience playing Angelina," she tells us.

But oddly, it's still an uphill journey for this gritty girl in this industry, and she has deliberately taken the rough route. "Many people feel that being a politician's daughter has helped my career. But hailing from a non-filmi background I had no idea of the struggles one has to face. Even now, I take many wrong career decisions at times but those are completely my mistakes. It's often frustrating and I still don't understand what works in this industry. The volume and quality of work can often deflate an actor's enthusiasm. But I love this struggle since success is always sweeter when it comes the harder way," tells the spunky actor.

<em>Devlina Kumar</em>
Devlina Kumar

Contrary to popular belief, Devlina often has to pay the price for being a politician's daughter (her father, Devasish Kumar, is a TMC MLA and a long-standing prominent councillor). "People assume that there might be a lot of power play and interference in case of any issue and that I might be full of tantrums," she shrugs, adding, "If I had taken the easier route, I would have never become the strong and patient person that I am today. I can now deal with any crisis situation".

Also, a trained dancer who runs a dance academy called Lai Haraoba that specialises in Manipuri and Rabindra Nritya, Devlina is eagerly looking forward to the resumption of all the international dance shows where she used to perform. "My academy completed a decade last year and we intend to celebrate that in a big way this year," she says.

<em>Devlina Kumar</em>
Devlina Kumar

The pandemic also saw the actor getting married last year to iconic Bengali star Uttam Kumar's grandson, actor Gourab Chatterjee. "The initial months were so nice since I got used to the laidback lockdown life but this almost sudden deluge of work now has left us with no time for each other," she rues.

This year will also see Kumar in Arindam Sil's Tirandaj Shabor and a web series, Shet Kali that'll release on ZEE5.

"Previously I had restricted myself to films alone and declined many television offers. But I am now planning to explore the television industry since it is the easiest and biggest way to get fame. I also do theatre. Currently, I do one play called Jodi Ekbar with Shaheb Bhattacherjee and I am in talks with Nigel Akkara for another one," she signs off.

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