After her critically acclaimed OTT debut with Hoichoi’s Chemistry Mashi, actor Debasree Roy is back with Shastri, a film which pits science against astrology. We caught up with the actress to chat about her character in the film, funny stories of working with Mithun Chakraborty, and what kind of roles she wishes to play on-screen.

What made you say yes to Shastri?

Debasree Roy: Shastri is a different film. When Soham first approached me with it, the subject instantly intrigued me. At the same time, the fact that Mithun da (Chakraborty) would be acting opposite me was a huge factor.

Tell us something about your character.

Debasree Roy: I play Mithun da’s wife, Sarala. She is a simple, sacrificing woman who’s seen the ups and downs of life and is left shocked by the enormous personality transformation that her husband undergoes.

Tell us about your experience working with Mithun Chakraborty.

Debasree Roy: I worked with Mithun da first in Nadi Theke Sagare. I was very young back then. I remember I was unable to wear a sari for a sequence, so Mithun da called for my mother to come and help me out during a sequence. Our relationship hasn’t changed since then. We are like family friends.

We still work with the same energy and excitement. Over the years, he has turned into an actor with god-gifted abilities. Working with him is a terrific experience.

Any funny anecdotes to share?

Debasree Roy: Let me share some fun incidents from my shoots with Mithun da. So, Mithun da is afraid of spicy food and I try to help him overcome his fear in every film we work on together. However, my attempts this time too (on the set of Shastri), were futile. I tried adding a handful of red mirchi powder to his masala muri, but he didn’t do the trick.

I remember we were once shooting a Diwali song for another film at Ramoji Film City and Mithun da asked me to be careful of snakes around the place. I had to walk through a small passage to get to the set for a scene and on my way, I stumbled across a snake. I shouted so loud that the whole of Ramoji must have woken up that night! It turned out to be a fake plastic snake that Mithun da had bought from a shop (laughs). Here’s another one — during the shooting of Mahaguru, I would sit on Mithun da’s left side after each shot. But for one, I sat on the right side and the producer of the film came and sat on the left. The chair collapsed and broke down! Mithun da covered his face and started laughing. He had intentionally planned the whole thing for me.

What do you admire about Soham?

Debasree Roy: He has been a nice boy since childhood. I remember, once we were shooting for a film and there was a song with difficult words that were beyond his grasp. He started crying and didn’t want to give the shot. From that kid to being a producer now, he has evolved beautifully. I pray and wish him success.

What attracts you the most in characters now?

Debasree Roy: I don’t mind if it is OTT or cinema, I want to play new and different characters, which have a lot of shades. The character should challenge the actor in me. It should be someone very unique and different from what’s mainstream.

Are you working on anything exciting now?

Debasree Roy: I’m waiting for other good projects to come my way.