Actress Koneenica Banerjee has always stood out in her acts be it small or big. This year too has been no different. Her OTT debut series Rajneeti, saw Koneenica portraying a vulnerable yet shrewd Mallika Banerjee. Her performce in the series Nikhoj, where she played the distraught wife of Romit Sen (Tota Roy Chowdhury) and a struggling mother of two young adults, shook us to the core. Banerjee was also a part of Pradhan, starring Dev, Paran Bandopadhyay, Mamata Shankar, Soumitrisha Kundu, Soham and
others. We speak with her to know what’s she has in store for us in 2024! Excerpts:
What drove you to sign up for Pradhan?
Avijit Sen, Atanu Raychaudhuri and Dev gave me three films in the last three years including Projapoti, Tonic and now, Pradhan, and I never ask them what the role is. I trust them immensly. The character’s
screentime is short but an interesting one. I enjoyed playing it.
What do you have in the pipeline?
I have Raajneeti’s second season in the pipeline. The shoot will start soon. Other than these, I don’t plan anything. If you don’t belong to any production house, getting good work, or even work in general gets a little difficult in this industry. I am a freelancer.
How do you choose your scripts?
Beggars can’t be choosers you know! (laughs) But on a serious note, I am not very picky when it comes to work. I do refuse when very minor roles are being offered to me. There are too many actors and too few
opportunities in the industry nowadays, it seems. And most importantly, motherhood taught me to be responsible towards my daughter as well. I waited long enough for this industry to give me back something, but I never got that. Probably someday I will, but now is not the right time I think. But I have also realised while watching actors from other industries that there is still time. Many actors are being offered the best of the characters in their 40s, 50s or 60s, and rediscovering their talent, so I believe it’s still not very late for me too.
Do we see you again in television dramas?
Not immeditely. When I did my last television serial, Aye Tobo Shohochori, I realised that my daughter needs me now. Working schedules in the serial industry are not like that of other working mothers. After
a 14-hour-long schedule and 2-3 hours of travel time, I could barely manage spending 2-3 hours with my daughter. I used to cry to sleep every night. And after my surgery, it made me realise how precious these times are.