Mimi Chakraborty opens up about reuniting with director duo Nandita Roy-Shiboprosad Mukherjee for their Durga Pujo release Raktabeej and playing a cop for the first time in her career.

You are reuniting with Nandita Roy-Shiboprosad Mukherjee after Posto….

Mimi Chakraborty: It has been a long association with them. It really feels great to come back and work with them again with a wonderful script like Raktabeej. I’m really looking forward to people liking this film. We have put in a lot of hard work. Hope you all see it and like it.

Tell us how Raktabeej happened….

Mimi Chakraborty: I got a call from Shibu-da saying ‘Tui akdin ashbi? Akta script achhey ektu shuney ja (Will you come over one day to listen to a script?).’ I was not aware that I would be playing the character of Sanjukta Mitra. I loved the script immediately and said, ‘This will be one of the best films of Windows Production.’ When I was offered the role Sanjukta Mitra, I was on cloud nine! Women in the industry hardly get to explore characters like this. I’m really grateful that I got to do something which I actually wanted to do; larger-than-life things.

How challenging were the action sequences in the film? What was the preparation like, and did you have to learn to ride a bike?

Mimi Chakraborty: As a police officer, running and jumping is part and parcel of the role. I enjoyed it a lot. I always try to stay fit, working out every day. Body flexibility is essential to perform stunt sequences.

I had learnt to ride an Enfield when I was doing Proloy, which was shot in Purulia, so I had practised in the open fields. For Raktabeej, I was learning to ride the bike all over again, but in my parking lot! That was stressful as I was afraid that I might hurt myself. One day when I wanted to shoot a video, very excited that I had finally learnt to ride the bike properly, I almost fell off. Though I didn’t get hurt, I didn’t touch the bike after that. I decided to directly ride the bike on the day of the shoot. On location, with the camera following me, the shot went perfectly well!

You are playing a cop for the first time. Did you draw references or inspiration from any real-life or reel-life cops?

Mimi Chakraborty: I had met the SP of Baruipur quite a few times; I really liked the way she carried herself. Back then I didn’t know I would be playing the role of an SP! I have seen and observed people around me in uniform. Also, when I watched Delhi Crime and Dahaad, I used to think what if I get a character like this. Shefali Shah and Sonakshi Sinha’s characters inspired me. Dahaad has a commercial touch to it, so I really liked that. When the script of Raktabeej came to me I had my pointers but when I came to the floors, Nandita-di asked me to shed whatever I had learnt and asked me to be myself. That is how Sanjukta Mitra happened.

Your Bollywood debut is also happening with a remake of Posto, Shastry Virudh Shastry, by the same director duo.…

Mimi Chakraborty: Yes. The film was in my comfort zone even after stepping out of Bengal. The directors and Viacom made it easy for me. In Bengal, we shoot 10-15 scenes per day. But for Shastry Virudh Shastry, we would shoot 2-3 scenes a day. The shooting schedule was light. Actors would get breaks. The production value is huge so the stress is less. Every day I would go to the floor without make-up to rehearse and then go back and get ready for the shot. It just took a few minutes to finish each scene.

And, you are making your web debut with Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo (for Hoichoi). What is that about?

Mimi Chakraborty: It is a story inspired by real-life events. I play a lawyer. I can’t reveal much about it; it is releasing next year.