Actress Sauraseni Maitra reveals that Amriter Sandhane’s Disha Chatterjee is one of the relevant characters she has played so far. “Everyone has Disha in them…she’s smart, independent, confident, educated, emotional and very straightforward,” she adds. As we chat with her, she shares more about her character, how she is switching between Bengali and Hindi entertainment industries, and more.
Tell us about your character Disha.
Disha Chatterjee is pursuing her Ph.D in Archaeology and her subject of research is Indian scriptures. To learn more about a scripture of Adi Shankaracharya that apparently contains the secrets to attaining immortality, Disha travels to Benaras. So Disha happens to be a pivotal character, apart from Ishaan Sen, the undercover agent, who will help in unravelling the murder mysteries.
How was your working experience?
It was a fantastic experience. I have thanked our director Abhinandan Dutta so many times for the brilliant casting. I was reunited with the talented Chandan Roy Sanyal after my Google campaigns. And Debasish really fits the part.
What else are you working on currently?
I just finished shooting for an upcoming film by Raajhorshee Dey called Sada Rong er Prithibi. I am also shooting for the second season of the Hindi web series Taj on ZEE5 and Arindam Sil’s Shabash Feluda is also going to be released soon.
How are you balancing both the Hindi and Bengali industries?
Life’s a hustle. Right now, I am practically living my life out of a suitcase. But I have no complaints and am ready to go wherever good work takes me. I am really hopeful about everything.
How do you choose your scripts?
I think your heart sends you a signal, and you need to be honest. The way women characters were sketched before, or rather put in films just as ornaments, that situation is changing fast. People are writing more about empowered women characters. It’s just the beginning, but things are positively changing.
With the advent of OTT, are more people getting chances to act?
OTT is content-driven, and since there is no censorship, important topics are coming up, requiring more and more actors to play relevant roles. There is so much work happening, people are getting to work more independently. There’s diversity, and because of this, more actors are getting their chances. The content is no more created around any single star and all the characters have equal relevance in taking the story forward.
Do you feel mainstream commercial films need to buck up?
Yes, of course, because content is the king right now. But do I not want to be in a hardcore commercial film? Of course, provided my character is just not ornamental.
Amriter Sandhane streaming on Adda Times