Sreya Bhattacharyya came into the limelight with Kaushik Ganguly’s Jyeshthoputro (2019). Her character was “soft, serene and like a bridge over troubled water, who carried a modicum of peace in her sense of communication”. After Jyeshthoputro, Sreya went on to star in web shows like Byomkesh Season 5 and films like Sanjhbati. A chat with Sreya...

You play a bassist in the film Homecoming, starring Sayani Gupta, Tuhina Das, Soham Majumdar, Tushar Pandey, Hussain Dalal. Tell us more about your character…

Homecoming (directed by Soumyajit Majumdar) gave me the amazing opportunity to play a bassist and a photographer. The name of the character is Piya whose equal expertise with her camera as well as her bass gives out a call for celebrating and venturing into all our creative sides.

What kind of prep did you do to play the role?

It was really a brilliant opportunity to play a bassist due to my love for music. I play the acoustic guitar and had no idea about the bass before I started working with it, a couple of weeks prior to the shoot. Also, playing around with a camera helped me to normalise and give the device a face of love. I would jam with my co-actors and would shoot a few BTS, on and off the sets. My all-time favourite bands are The Beatles, The Doors, Mohiner Ghoraguli and so many more.

How was your experience of shooting for it?

We had an extensive shoot schedule after extensive group workshops for 10 days besides personal classes. We had a shoot schedule for nine days overnight. We were excessively drained out and cranky, shivering and getting bombed with mosquitoes, but at the same time we had nights of joy and jamming with my fellow actors, spending the whole time together. The sense of camaraderie grew stronger with such strong friends and inspiring co-actors. I can confidently say that I have found friends in co-actors who experienced the similar adrenaline and have already started planning to work together.

The short film Lost Luna (starring Sreya) won the Best Short Film Gold Award at New York City Indie Film Awards in January. How was the reaction there?

Lost Luna by Apratim De received a number of lovely reactions and awards. Recently it got the opportunity of official screening at the South Asian Short Film Festival as well. The story is about revisiting and celebrating our domestic helps, long after they are gone. The rarely visited emotions and attachments that are stronger than that of blood. The film has been made with love and the whole cast and crew have become my family since the day we began. Lost Luna received a Jury Mention at Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival. We are looking forward to a screening at one of the major movie theatres in the city soon. I played the character of Radhika, a student of a University who goes out in search of someone very dear. Whether she meets the person or the search ends up in vain is how the beautiful story has been put into frames.

How has your screen journey been after the release of Jyeshthoputro?

Jyeshthoputro has been a golden stepping stone for me where I worked with all the marvellous actors and one of the warmest crew ever. After that I have worked in web series such as Krishanu Krishanu, Byomkesh Season 5, and films such as Sanjhbati, Lost Luna and Homecoming.

Do you feel more opportunities are opening up for you?

I can see more opportunities coming my way where I plan to give my whole and I would really love the work flow to gush in, right after the quarantine period gets over. Sadly, a couple of shoots got postponed and even shelved. All of us are eagerly waiting for the situation to normalise and to get back in the flow of work.

How is the indie film/web scene in Calcutta? What are the positives?

The positives have always been the chance to play different people and to interact with talents. By saying this I include both the cast and the crew. Everyday is about growing modest and firm around loving friends who are eager to work.

What are the things that can be done to improve the scene?

Things like maintaining a time in the industry is really required. I would love my work space to be more cordial, open to all kinds of ideas and increased workshops.