Anindita Bose is one busy bee these days. Her kitty is full with two Hindi web series — Zee5’s Skyfire and MX Player’s Thinkistan that starts streaming on May 22 and May 24, respectively. t2 caught up with Anindita for lunch at Sly Fox Bar & Kitchen in Sector V.

What can you tell us about Skyfire?

My character’s name is Vaishali Dharma, who’s the wife of Harshvardhan Dharma (Jisshu Sengupta). The show also has Prateik Babbar, Sonal Chauhan, Shataf Figar and Jatin Goswami and it’s directed by Soumik Sen. It’s a sci-fi thriller and they’re trying to prove a point that humans are somewhere responsible for all the calamities that are happening. Is it a man-made thing or is it a natural calamity? My husband Harshvardhan is a politician and the owner of a really huge pharmaceutical company. I am the sweet wife but I am a very intelligent person who has studied at Harvard and has come back. Something very drastic happens to our family and the story picks up from there.

How was the vibe on set like?

We shot in both Mumbai and Delhi for around 12 to 15 days. It was a lot of fun because it was the first time I was working with Jisshuda. Prateik Babbar and he has this bromance where they see each other and can’t keep their hands off each other. Looking at their bromance we would just go crazy laughing (laughs)! Prateik is such a sweet guy, he has no airs or starry tantrums. He’s just the most chilled out. The vibe on the set was so chill.

And you also have MX Player’s Thinkistan coming up…

Yes, my other show is to do with an advertising agency and what goes on there. It shows how these iconic ads are made and what goes on beyond them. We also have the drama, the love stories, the tension… we have pretty much covered it all in this show. There are some really fantastic actors I got to work with like Mandira Bedi, Neil Bhoopalam, Naveen Kasturia, Satyadeep Mishra and Shrawan Reddy. It’s an ensemble cast and it releases on May 24. That was a really fun show and it was my first Hindi web show, that’s why it’s really close to my heart.

It’s been 10 years of being an actor in Tollywood. How has the journey been like?

First of all, I never wanted to be an actor, I always wanted to be a production designer. I had studied art and thought I’d always be behind the camera. When I first did Bou Kotha Kao (2009), I thought maybe this is going to be just for a year. But then, very weirdly, I started getting work. I wouldn’t say it has been an amazing ride but it has been a slow and steady ride.

Why did you think of shifting your focus to Mumbai then?

There was a phase when I was not getting work from anyone and I kept thinking why. Every time I met someone they’d praise my work but then I’d think, ‘Then where’s the job? Why aren’t you offering me anything?’ I was sad about it and got a little depressed about it. I had a chat with my parents three to four years back and I told them, ‘Let me be behind the camera and see how that works for me.’ That’s when I joined Rajda’s (Chakraborty) production house as a production designer and did that for almost 10 months. But everyone was so used to see me acting that no one took me seriously, looking after a set and costumes. I realised that I cannot be a production designer in this city and everyone started saying, ‘Please stop doing this and start acting’. Then I went to Rajda and asked for some acting job. That’s when he gave me Guti Malhar (2016) and it was a huge success and I slowly started getting work again. It was during that phase that I realised that probably things in Calcutta have become a little stagnant for me. I thought of trying in Bombay. Slowly, these web shows and ads happened in Bombay.

Are people in Calcutta now looking at you in a different way?

I’m not saying huge offers have come my way but yes, I’m definitely getting more calls. I’m about to anchor this Zee Bangla Football League along with Saurav (Das). I’m also doing a web film with Anjanda (Dutt) that has Ridhima (Ghosh), Gaurav (Chakrabarty), Suprobhatda (Das) and Rahulda (Banerjee). These things are pretty exciting.

How tough is it to crack that Mumbai film or web space?

I literally gave some 50 auditions and after that I could crack one deal. After that people start knowing you, people start seeing you on set, you slowly build your PR, you know more actors and producers.

Why don’t we see you in more mainstream Bengali cinema?

You’ll see me in Shesh Theke Shuru where I’m playing Koel’s (Mallick) best friend. My character’s name is Rimpi which is also my daknaam! We went to shoot it in London and this is my first mainstream film ever. It is releasing this Id. This is the first time I worked under Rajda’s direction. I also have 17 th September that stars Soham (Chakraborty) and Arunima (Ghosh). It’s a pretty sweet film and it’s releasing on September 17!

How did Saurav and you meet?

I first met him during Guti Malhar in 2015 and I always found him annoyingly energetic and positive sort of a guy. He always makes sure that everyone around him is happy. Ever since then, we became very good friends. We had common friends because Gaurav and Indrasish (Roy) were his friends too. We all used to hang out together. By the time we did our third Guti Malhar, we realised we probably have more than just friendly feelings for each other. Once that movie released, we confessed our feelings for each other on May 18. Hence, we both have this tattoo (that reads 18 in Roman numericals). It’s been two years now and we are living in for one and a half years.

So Saurav and you have taken up a new house now?

My dog Cookie has been there with me before Saurav came into my life (laughs). Then Saurav and I started living together and then he felt like he needed another dog in the house. That’s when our pug Biscuit came into our lives. They are our children and we can’t live without them. Saurav wanted another one and I jokingly told him, ‘Agey ekta boro bari keno’. It all started from there. We have bought two new flats in Chetla — I bought one and he bought one. Then we broke the wall, merged it and turned it into a pretty big apartment. We have just started doing the interiors, so we will move in in another two months.

Is marriage on the cards?

Eventually, we do want to get married but that’s not an immediate thought for us. Right now, we are both making sure of the fact that we have a fantastic future. Only after we know that we can accomplish that future is when we can think of getting married and settling down. Also, marriage will just be about legal documentation, we anyway live together. I go meet his parents, our parents come over, he meets my parents in Bombay, my friends know him. It’s just that we are not husband and wife, we are just girlfriend and boyfriend. That’s the fun of it, that we can still call each other boyfriend and girlfriend but still live together and enjoy the married-life advantages.