Having completed 14 years in the Bengali film industry, actor-MP Mimi Chakraborty is all set to make her Hindi film debut with Shastry Virudh Shastry, directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, on November 3. The Hindi film is a remake of Nandita and Shiboprosad’s Bengali film Posto, which starred Mimi, Jisshu Sengupta and Soumitra Chatterjee. A t2 chat with Mimi.

When did you start thinking about making your debut in a Hindi film?

Post Gaaner Oparey I had got offers to do Hindi serials. I couldn’t do that then. Offers for Hindi films started rolling in early on in my career. But I wasn’t comfortable doing certain scenes or wearing certain clothes, which is why I didn’t take up those offers. I was never really intrigued by that urge to do a Hindi film because I was so immersed in the work that I was doing here. I had gone through a lot of hard work and struggle in this industry. So it was difficult to think of going through that struggle once again in a different industry. Mentally, I was not in a space to go through that struggle once again.

I felt that if I were made the lead in a Hindi film, then I would think of making my Hindi film debut. What I have always done in my life is that I have worked hard. And I believe hard work never goes unnoticed. There have been lows in my life where I have really felt upset about a lot of things. Then I realised it was a matter of time.

Recently, I loved Bumbada’s (Prosenjit) performance in Jubilee. He rocked it and I called him up and congratulated him. When I see Param (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), Jisshu Sengupta and Saswata Chatterjee working in Bombay, I feel very happy for all of them.

What was your first reaction when you heard you were on board for the Hindi film?

Anxiety! There were so many things I had to take care of, and I had 15-20 days to prepare. I didn’t sleep for two days... since I was busy with the script. I learned everything in it. I knew everyone’s dialogue.

Since Shastry Virudh Shastry is a remake of Posto, was it reassuring at some level?

I knew the pace of the character. But I didn’t do what I had done in Posto. As an actor, I have matured. My body language, my dialogues, and the intensity of my dialogue delivery changed. I believe I did better now.

The film was shot in sync-sound....

It was incredible. I loved it... because I hate dubbing. I get claustrophobic sitting inside a booth to dub. It is a tedious process. Some people feel you can enhance your acting through dubbing. But it gets difficult for me to sit in a small room for hours to dub. Sync-sound worked wonders for me. I want this to come here.

Another new thing that you experienced there was shooting two or three scenes in a day... whereas you have to do around 15 scenes in a day for a Bengali film.

We would shoot a scene at sunrise... and once that would get over we would return to our hotel. Then I would return to the sets around 2pm for the next scene, and it would depend on the light condition. But I was always in the headspace of my character. For one Bengali film, I had shot for at least 19 scenes in a day, which included montages.

How was your experience working with Paresh Rawal?

He is a gem of a person, a brilliant man. He greets everyone; he is so down to earth. It was an honour to work with him.

Do you have plans to do more Hindi films?

I don’t have to plan anything. People will call me if they want me to play a certain role in a film. I have given my best in Shastry Virudh Shastry and would love people to see this side of me. It is a socially relevant film. The rest is destiny.

If you get an offer to do a mainstream Hindi film with songs and dance...

I would love to do it. I was made by these movies in Bengal.

Raktabeej has performed brilliantly at the box office....

The feedback has been amazing. I loved my character... I got to do a lot of things that I really love. I just loved the climax, and what I had to do there. People have connected with my character and the dialogues, especially the line about calling me: “Sanjukta or Sanyukta”. I went for a hall visit and there the audience called out: “How do we address you? As Sanyukta or Sanjukta?” It felt great.

How do you look back at your career now? How do you look back at the time, say, around 10 years ago?

All my films were superhits. All the songs were superhits. It was a golden phase. The audience loved us. The appreciation just flowed... and there was no social media then. Now, we have come so close to the people through social media and yet we are so far away. There are people who are so judgmental on social media, and then there are the trolls. If you put up a nice picture after doing some good work, someone will comment on it and criticise it. If you don’t give pictures, they will say you are not working.

I do social media because of the promotions, the brands and the ads. It is a part of an actor’s life. I wish we could go back to a time when we eat our food first and not take pictures. I also do the same right now. However, we have a strict no-phones rule at the dinner table at home... I miss the time when we grew up. We have so many good memories, we did so many things, but there were no pictures. I want to go back to that time. There was a sense of innocence then. We need to be kind and compassionate towards everyone. I wish I could vanish from all social media platforms someday.

Does acting give you the same kind of happiness now?

Yes, I love acting. A good script makes me happy. A good environment makes me happy.

Do you set goals for yourself?

I know what I have to achieve. I am an ambitious person. I have a lot more to achieve. I believe in working hard. The day I feel I can’t give my hundred per cent, I’ll leave it.

What’s your take on awards?

I only believe in rewards (smiles)! I’ll love it if you give me an award. I love the recognition and appreciation. But even if you don’t give me an award, it’s okay. In the past, I have been through an experience where I was not nominated for what I believe to be one of my best performances. At the same time, in that same year, I was part of some of the biggest brands. Which one should I care for? That or this? Also, I feel actresses should come together now and talk about pressing issues, such as pay parity. We need this unity.

You said that you approach a film in a different way now... the depth you go to play a character... for example, you learn the whole screenplay. Was this your approach 10 years ago?

It happened with time. In 2016-2017, I went through severe depression. I would sleep the entire day. I had lost my appetite. One day I realised this is not how I am going to lead my life. I thought that I had to start doing things that would make me a responsible person. I started doing shows. On stage, for those 45 minutes, I used to forget everything that was happening in my life. Then I started working in back-to-back films. Things changed. I started working out. I ate well. I read books. I realised work is everything. And work has been my priority. I work towards achieving perfection.

When a film flops, and you have given your everything in it, how do you deal with that situation?

I feel bad about it. And it takes time to come out of that sadness. Then I start working on other things.