When Koneenica Banerjee tells us that she is perhaps one of the most under-exploited actors, we couldn’t agree more. With an average run rate of a film per year in her two decades of acting career, the actor indeed had fewer chances to showcase her acting skills. But the candid artiste -- who is still remembered for her stellar, debut act as Pakhi in popular TV series Ek Akasher Niche -- is the last one to get bogged down by lack of opportunities. Her acts as Shyamoli Rakshit a local councillor’s spoilt wife in Haami, the biggest blockbuster of 2018, and in Aniket Chatterjee’s Puja release Hoichoi Unlimited, won her accolades from the audiences and critics alike.
“I always wanted to be an actor. It’s only here that we still think that it’s a must for heroines to have a 24-inch waistline. The perception has changed globally. Most female actors who get nomination at the Oscars are well past their 40s. I have another 30-40 years to act,” observes the radiant actor, who is pregnant and expecting her first child sometime in July this year. That’s the reason why she opted out of Andarmahal, a popular hard-hitting TV series, where she played the protagonist, Parameshwari.
But the actor couldn’t say no to the lead role in debutant director Pritha Chakraborty’s Mukherjee Dar Bou, produced by filmmaker duo Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy. “I think my work in Haami got me the lead and I was so excited to play it that I said yes to the film even before hearing the full script. I was two months pregnant while shooting but I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the film,” avers the ebullient actor.
Mukherjee Dar Bou deals with the omnipresent tussle between daughters and mothers-in law. “I think every woman will relate to my role. There are women like her everywhere. So, playing it was easy and difficult at the same time because the audience must identify themselves with the character,” explains Koneenica, who prefers playing roles that are not similar to her real self. “I’ve never been satisfied with my work. I am my biggest critic besides my father and husband. The only role that I was satisfied doing was in Srijit Mukherji’sChatushkone. I felt I did full justice to the character,” she adds.
So, does she wish to work with Srijit again? “Why not? But then there are so many other directors I would like to work with, and Kaushik Ganguly tops the list. But I’ve never asked for work from anyone,” she states.
Koneenica, who has always ruled the TRPs when it comes to television, feels that the regressive content of the serials is the fallout of aping Hindi serials blindly. “Those who are hooked to web series will never be able to relate to the TV serials. But there are so many talented actors in the serial industry and it takes so much patience and dedication to work in a tele series,” she stresses. Are there any new projects that she is a part of? “Right now, I haven’t taken up any new project. I want to enjoy my pregnancy for the time being,” she says. Amen to that.