Actress Koel Mallick opens up on Sharthopor and and the quiet pain of family rifts
If there is any actress in Tollywood who hasn’t let controversy touch her doorstep, it has to be Koel Mallick. The beautiful and soft-spoken Koel is back this Diwali with a new film, Sharthopor. Literally meaning selfish, Sharthopor centres around the bitter sparring and consequent alienation between siblings that often scar families after the demise of parents. The Annapurna Basu directorial revolves around Aparna Ghosal (played by Koel) and her brother (played by Kaushik Sen), who fall out with each other when Aparna lays claim to her right over maternal property and knocks on the door of the court when denied. Koel sat with Indulge for a chat on the film.
What is the reason behind choosing Sharthopor?
It is a relevant theme—a bitter truth that many families often choose not to speak in front of anyone. We know many siblings who have rifts among themselves and one of the reasons is inheritance-related issues. The saddest part is that though they have grown up together and share a loving bond, all this causes painful mental and emotional distance, taking a toll on their relationship. So, when I first heard the story, I was struck by its relevance. At this point, I don’t think there is any topic as such which has been left untouched by cinema, but I feel nothing of this sort has ever been done in Bengali cinema. So, when Annapurna Basu, the director of the movie, first narrated this story to me, I said yes immediately. What I love about the narrative is that it goes beyond the conflict around property and stirs emotions and feelings that are core to any bond or relationship.
How did you prepare for the character?
Even when I was listening to the story, I could visualise Aparna as a next-door girl who grew up with her elder brother and parents. At a point in life, their parents passed away, and a rift started creeping slowly in between the siblings around the property. In those scenes, there’s hardly any make-up on my face, or any fancy hairdo, it’s mostly a basic bun. In so many scenes, I’m wearing a night gown, because at home that’s what women are comfortable in. The USP of the film is its honesty and we have tried to keep the characters as real as life.
What is your definition of a selfish person? To what extent have you been selfish?
I am very selfish about having peace in life. I hold it close to my heart. For peace, I can do anything and everything. I am a very peace-loving person, I don’t like chaos at all, nor do I enjoy or attract chaos in my life. Wherever I see disturbance, I like to stay away. I greet people with absolute positivity, and I feel for everybody. I am a very private person, who gives absolute priority to her family, and my audience for who I am today. When I started 20 years back, I really did not dream that I would complete 20 years here. I have been brought up in a joint family and I don’t know what selfishness means. But seeing certain people acting in a selfish manner does make me feel bad. I am blessed that my husband’s and my values match, as he too comes from a joint family. To enjoy life, one needs to be surrounded by loved ones and for that, you have to be there by their side and love them and it cannot be only according to your convenience.
What’s the last great content that you have watched?
The last best film I watched and that stayed with me for many days was 12th Fail.
What are your upcoming projects?
I will be back with another film from the Mitin Mashi franchise and I am very excited about it. Ekti Khunir Sandhane Mitin is one of the adult novels by author Suchitra Bhattacharya in her Mitin Mashi series and the film is going to be released sometime in December this year or early January next year. I haven’t started shooting for anything yet, but two script writing sessions are underway, with one being from our production house and if I like any of them, I might sign up for the same.
