After being a hostage in her Bollywood debut Sanak, Rukmini Maitra now plays the hardened cop in Srijit Mukherji’s recently-released hostage drama Tekka. The Telegraph Online caught up with the actress to talk about the project's challenges, being directed by Srijit Mukherji, her off-screen bond with Swastika Mukherjee, and why she is frightened of Dev.

You consider Maya, your character from Tekka, to be one of the most difficult roles you have portrayed to date. Why?

Rukmini Maitra: My character Maya is challenging because of the kind of energy she gives out. She is a woman yet she has an extremely “manly” exterior. Throughout the entire film, she has a sense of assertiveness, which is traditionally masculine. Maya is the alpha in a room full of men. Her body language and way of commanding is very different from that of other characters. She is the negotiator in this case and, thus, has to be calm. Her emotions are under control. Maya is very self-aware — of every personality that resides within her. She knows which personality to bring out and when.

How did you prepare for the role?

Rukmini Maitra: Maya breaks the representation of a commercial image of a heroine. She breaks all possible beauty standards. Srijit wanted me to de-mould myself in various ways so that my face looked distorted in various scenes. He needed to break it down completely — he wanted Maya to be out of a Hollywood film. So, for Maya, I had to shed the beauty that Rukmini comes with. She is like a deck of cards; she knows how to shuffle them and present which card before whom. She is calm on the surface but is paddling underneath. When I read Maya’s character in the script, it seemed very exciting. But once I got under her skin, her mind troubled me. In the 48-hour hostage situation, she changes every moment. So, it is for sure my top three most difficult characters alongside Kirti in Cockpit and Yasmin in Kabir.

How did Tekka happen to you?

Rukmini Maitra: Initially, I had said no to Tekka because I’d thought that Srijit had offered me the film as compensation for the last project that I hadn’t wanted to do because the dates had clashed with Boomerang. But Srijit was adamant about casting me as Maya. He said he didn’t see anybody else as her other than me. He pushed the narration by two weeks, waiting for me to say yes. He is extremely persuasive and, finally, I couldn’t say no when he narrated the story. Tekka has an experimental subject as it is the first ever proper “hostage film” in West Bengal. In Sanak, I played the hostage but this time I was to be the cop… not a typical and stereotypical cop who has a bun with a little oil in her hair. So, I jumped at it.

What was special about being directed by Srijit? What’s his approach like?

Rukmini Maitra: Srijit is extremely particular about everything. He knows what he wants and he will get it — not only for performances but also with his casting. With his performances and camerawork, he has a kind of vision that no one else can see. As an actor, my process is to let the director take me along on the journey. Srijit would do that but there would be times when he would take a detour. Even if the road ahead seemed dark, he would be the one who would make me trust him and show me the light.

How did you like collaborating with Swastika?

Rukmini Maitra: This is my first film with her. It was a dream come true to share screen space with an actor of her calibre. I am a complete fangirl. I have seen her performances, and what she does on screen is commendable. We did a shoot together and I realised that I have never looked so good standing next to any male actor as I did with Swastika. I want to work with her more. The energy we share is so much alike and, somehow, there’s something powerful about it.

And what about Dev?

Rukmini Maitra: We are both very professional. I learn from watching Dev perform. He is brilliant in Tekka. He performed super well. The way he has evolved as an actor is admirable. When I was on Tekka’s set, it was a treat to see him perform as a co-actor.

How has your work chemistry with Dev evolved?

Rukmini Maitra: My work chemistry with Dev is still the same as day one. I am still scared of him on set. I don’t know why… maybe because I see him as my guide, my mentor. I always want to be at my best in front of him and then I really overdo things. Here’s a funny incident — I would start acting weirdly whenever Dev came to the set of Binodini – Ekti Natir Upakhyan to check if everything was in place. After a couple of days, Ram Kamal Mukherjee (the director), who had noticed this, requested Dev not to come on set. Ram told Dev that I started performing completely out of character whenever he was present. Earlier, Dev used to guide me through a lot of scenes. Now, he just says I am good, which means he feels that I am not good enough anymore (laughs). I feel like my boss isn’t giving me appraisals.

What can we expect from you next?

Rukmini Maitra: This year, I am moving in reverse. I started with something futuristic in Boomerang, then Tekka is very much rooted in the present and my next release, Binodini, is a period drama. The same goes with my hair — I was bald in the first one, I have short hair in Tekka and in my next, I have knee-length hair. It is growing with time (laughs).