Bangladeshi actress Rafiath Rashid Mithila is excited about her new Bengali film Meghla, which is about a simple woman who transforms into a mighty force of nature to fight against injustice. The film is directed by Arnab K Middya. A Telegraph chat with Mithila.

When were you approached for Meghla? What was your first reaction when you heard the story?

I was approached for Meghla last year, and my reaction was, ‘This is what I want to do’. Because the entire story revolves around the lead character, which is a female character, Meghla. Usually, it doesn’t happen in every film. Usually, female characters are portrayed as a sidekick while the male character is portrayed as a superhero. I was approached for the character of Meghla, and I was very excited, and I just wanted to do it right away.

Any other reason why you decided to say ‘yes’ to the film?

I have been working in the Bangladesh film and television industry for more than 17 years now. I have played a lot of popular characters in a lot of popular films, web series, telefilms and television dramas. I am more inclined towards playing challenging roles nowadays. Meghla shares a lot of similarities with a lot of women around us. And I could find some similarities with me as well. It was still a very challenging character to portray. It has a lot of layers, it goes through lots of ups and downs, which I had to adapt to. This is the kind of role that any actor would love to play. That’s why I said yes to this character because it gave me the challenge and the creative trigger that I needed. It helped me to transform into Meghla.

Mithila in and as Meghla (left); The poster of the film

What is the storyline of Meghla?

The entire story revolves around Meghla. And it is her journey, which is not easy. Meghla is a simple sweet, girl next door who suddenly faces a lot of reality checks in life, which she never imagined or anticipated could happen to her. She had to go through a lot of challenges and trauma, which transformed her into a strong and powerful human being, a mighty force of nature to fight against injustice... when you are pushed to the extent where you need to stand up for justice all by yourself, when you are just on your own and you have no option but to fight back.

What is film-maker Arnab K Middya trying to say through the film?

Arnab has this inclination towards telling powerful stories about women. Although whatever has happened to Meghla in this story is nothing new. We are already aware of such situations, and incidents of injustice... a lot of women around us have to face this. Therefore, it’d work like a reminder for all of us that this still happens and no matter what women can fight back when it’s needed.

Did you have questions for Arnab... maybe about the theme or character? What were the questions?

I asked Arnab quite a few times why he chose this theme, why he decided to make a woman-centric film... it’s also a risk, taking me for this role, since no matter what I have achieved in Bangladesh, I am still new in Tollywood. I asked him, ‘Are you sure you want to cast me? Are you confident?’ Ultimately, the film has to make business. I was happy to see that Arnab was very confident; he wanted to make this film, he wanted to tell this particular story, he wanted to tell a story that revolves around a woman and the kind of challenges, fights, ups and downs that women in our society have to face, and he was very confident that he wanted me in the role of Meghla. His confidence gave me the confidence to become Meghla.

Tell us about your look in the film?

You can see Meghla as a simple Bengali married woman, with sindoor and mangal sutra. The kind of sari that she wears... it is very simple, middle-class. She is an educated woman. She has a difficult past from which she has moved away and now she wants to live a normal life. Suddenly a lot of things start happening which completely change her life. The audience will get to see a different avatar of Meghla in the film we haven’t revealed yet.

What are your expectations from the film?

My only expectation is that I really want people to come to the theatres and watch this film. It’s not every day that a woman-centric story is told. I was given the responsibility of carrying the entire film on my shoulder. Therefore, I will be happy if people come and watch the film and support us.

What’s your criterion for selecting Bengali films now?

After working for more than 17 years as an actor, I would definitely prioritise films and characters that are challenging enough for me. Woman-centric, female-lead films are of particular interest. I would prefer stories and roles that would help me come out of my comfort zone, roles that would have layers and shades.

How was your shooting experience?

The shooting is over and I had a great experience working with Arnab. Despite being a new director he has a clear head. He knows exactly what he wants. He is very passionate about his work. That is very refreshing about working with a new director. From the very beginning of my career, I have worked with new directors who want to tell unique stories, who are passionate about their work. I already had a good rapport with our DoP, Indranath Marick, who was my DoP in Mayaa and Montu Pilot 2. He has always been very supportive. I also had a fun time working with Gaurab (Chatterjee), Arna and my other co-actors in the film. I’m really looking forward to this film, and watching it with my audience in the theatres.

What are your upcoming projects?

I have half a dozen films waiting to be released. There is Mayaa, my first shot film in Calcutta. Then Neetishashtra is travelling to film festivals. Meghla is my third Bengali film, which hopefully will come out by the end of May. In Bangladesh, I have three films in the post-production stage. There is also a web series for Chorki waiting to be released in April before Id. Apart from my full-time career in the development sector, I am trying my best to be an actor (smiles), and work on projects which would be intriguing enough for me to make time for.

My career in the development sector (Head of Early Childhood Development programme, BRAC International) and my experience of working with women, girls and children over the past 15 years, really helped me to understand this character of Meghla more, and it is one of the reasons Arnab decided to cast me for this particular role. He was looking for somebody strong and someone who would be able to carry Meghla’s character by really understanding the challenges and ups and downs, and the kind of struggle Meghla had to go through.