Believe it or not, Mimi Chakraborty had to audition for the role she reprises in Shastry Virudh Shastry, the Hindi remake of the Bengali film Posto, both directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy. Between the two films, Mimi admits to have matured as a person. The actress chatted with us about working with veterans Paresh Rawal and Neena Kulkarni, and striking a balance between her acting career and politics.

You acted in the original Bengali film Posto. What made you want to be a part of its Hindi remake Shastry Virudh Shastry?

Mimi Chakraborty: Actually, I came on board very late. The casting was taking time. The directors — Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy — wanted me to audition for the role. I said I had already played the role in the original. They said that they wanted to see whether I got the dialect right. So, it was just like any other audition. They took a couple of days and then told me that we would be working together again.

How did you make playing the same character new for yourself?

Mimi Chakraborty: When I did Posto, I was very young. From the time of playing the character in the Bengali film to playing it in the Hindi remake, I have matured as an actor. Time teaches you a lot of things and you learn a lot. I tried doing things that I missed doing in the Bengali film. My motherly instincts were more intense this time. I felt each and every word of the dialogue when I said it. I was meticulous about things, like I have to speak in this manner and I won’t repeat what I had done. That was a conscious choice.

What has been your experience with the themes explored in the story?

Mimi Chakraborty: When I was doing Shastry Virudh Shastry, I had lost my dog, which was like losing my child. That motherly instinct and vulnerability came out. I could feel what losing a child must feel like. I think that helped my character a lot, because you want to be with your child and you can’t.

What was it like working with veterans like Paresh Rawal and Neena Kulkarni?

Mimi Chakraborty: Paresh Rawal is such a big actor and such a genuine human being. He was always present on the set, giving cues to co-actors. It was not like, my work is done, so I am off. Neenaji was also the same. Pareshji would talk and laugh about a lot of things. We would discuss food in Bengal. Shiv Panditt (who plays Mimi’s husband in the film) is a friend now. He is so hard-working. It was fun working with him.

Do you have plans to do more work in Hindi?

Mimi Chakraborty: If good work comes in, why not? If I get an opportunity where I can do what I want to do as an actor, of course I will and I am looking forward to such parts.

How do you balance acting and politics which are both demanding fields?

Mimi Chakraborty: I agree with you that both fields are demanding. Being a politician, you have to devote time to your constituency on a lot of levels. It is an early stage in my life. I will complete five years in 2024. It was very intimidating at first because I was trying to do everything but I have learnt the balancing act.

Acting is my passion. Singing is my passion. I have released quite a few songs on my YouTube channel. Whenever I get time, I try to record a song. When you are an actor and politician, you have very little time left for yourself. Sometimes, 24 hours seem very less. There’s some stress at times, but I think it’s okay. I am thankful for what I have in life. I can’t think of a better life than this.

Who has been your support system?

Mimi Chakraborty: I grew up in hostels. I have lived in Arunachal Pradesh and different parts of West Bengal before settling down in Kolkata. I have stayed alone for a very long time in my life.

My family didn’t want me to join the entertainment industry. When my first TV serial came up, my family was very upset. My father didn’t talk to me for nine months. They were very unsure because of the uncertainty of the profession. Also because I didn’t belong to the city. They were not with me as they were living in Jalpaiguri. At that time, I was also not sure about my future but I had faith in myself. I knew what work I had to put in to reach where I am today. But as parents, they were concerned about me.

After nine months, my first movie was released and I proved that I was here to stay. Then they came down from Jalpaiguri. I had rented a small flat where my mum stayed with me. I had odd working hours and I couldn’t afford anyone at that time. I could hardly afford my rickshaw ride. So, my mum was there to take care of me. So, yeah, my family was there.

Because of overexposure on social media, the mystery around film stars is fading. Do you feel the need to maintain a certain mystery about you?

Mimi Chakraborty: I always wish we could go back in time when social media did not exist. But to keep up with certain things like movie promotions and all, you have to be on social media. Because of the race that we all are running, we have to be a part of it. You have to do certain things to be visible.

I don’t really enjoy that part because I believe that an actor’s job is to act. Because we are everywhere, people have lost interest in watching us on the big screen. It also doesn’t matter how big a star is. If a film is mediocre, it flops. I guess content is everything right now.