While one is chirpy, the other staid, but chat with them and they would come across as two sides of the same coin. Powerhouse actresses and sister duo Bidipta and Sudipta Chakraborty, who are three-and-a-half years apart. They came together for a special Puja feature, in Nextiles by Suchismita, a brainchild of fashion designer Suchismita Dasgupta, for The Telegraph at Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences, and made us laugh out loud on the sidelines.
Let’s start with your Puja memories...
Bidipta: Mischievousness wasn’t restricted to Pujas alone. I was naughtier. They say that I used to torture them but I don’t believe! As kids, we were in Howrah. The whole family was culturally inclined. One of my grandfathers, my father’s uncle, had a script... Chandipath... the entire family would take part in that act on Mahalaya.... We would also do call shows. That was unique.
Then, ek chhiter kapor kine teen boner jama hoto (smiles).
We would visit New Market for Puja shopping with baba. It was a big deal to shop from New Market for Pujas at that time. Our childhood was simple.
Sudipta: I too have memories of the Chandipath. I was in Howrah till Class II and then onwards, I have been in Kolkata. So, I have more memories of the Kolkata Puja, our Behala house and neighbourhood. Baba used to give us money during Puja. Rs 2 on Sashthi, Rs 5 of Saptami, Rs 10 on Ashtami.... We used to get six phuchkas for Re 1. Come Dashami, we wouldn’t wait for baba to give us money because boroder pronam korlei taka! (Laughs)
Bidipta: Whenever we would feel hungry while playing, we would dart off to someone’s house for Bijoya’r pronam! (Laughs)
Sudipta: Homemade naru, nimki, maangsher ghugni, chandrapuli... I am getting nostalgic remembering those times! (Laughs)
Sudipta draped the traditional red-and-white look. The silk-linen jamdani was complete with dark kohl eyes and flowers. Bidipta put on a khadi-linen jamdani sari too with modern checks. Both ditched the regular blouse and opted for easy-breezy cool tops. “These colours are my favourite!” said Suchismita.
Who scolds who? Sudipta, do you scold, Bidipta or...
Bidipta: Oitai! I am very nice. She is the one who scolds me!
Sudipta: It’s as if am her elder sister! I scold her if she doesn’t take care of things.
Bidipta: I have been a little bohemian from my childhood. Aamar kono kichhur opor maya nei. Now we talk mostly about our kids and our mother. Ma’o ekhon baccha’i hoye gechhen.
What about films and your careers?
Bidipta: Definitely. If I get a good offer or a different one, I share it with her and I take her advice. If she has an offer from television, she asks me.
Sudipta: There is no question of ‘you shouldn’t do it’. I tell her, ‘you will not do it’! Nijer didi ke eto katha keno bolbo? I just tell her: ‘Korbi na, baaje lok!’ (Laughs) If I have had a bad experience, I would never want my didi to face that.
The sisters were ready for a soiree in party saris. While Sudipta’s silk-linen sari in wine was Suchismita’s ode to “old Benarasis”, Bidipta draped a noil sari, Suchismita’s “signature”. “This fabric was mostly used for furnishing. I liked the raw texture and that’s why I started making saris,” she said.
Do you borrow each other’s clothes?
Sudipta: Didi has an amazing wardrobe and dresses so well. I am sure she’s lost count of how much she has. By the way, I still wear earrings from my school days.
Bidipta: While she can carry dresses of various styles, I am more comfortable in saris, but nowadays I like dresses too. I have been wearing saris from a very young age. When I used to work, I would deck up in saris and go to work. Nowadays, I don’t feel like wearing them any more....
Sudipta: I have decided to steal her haathphool!
Bidipta: Churi korbi keno? Aami emni debo (laughs)!
Time to spill some embarrassing secrets!
Sudipta: Should I tell them about the poem you wrote as a kid?! (asks Bidipta) She once got a scolding from baba. He punished her and debarred her from stepping out during Puja.
Bidipta: Everyone went pandal-hopping.
Sudipta: When we came back, we saw o ulte shuye aache and there is a diary beside her and she had scribbled a poem:
Pujor shomoi shobai anondo kore/Notun jama pore ghorey
Aar aami ghore/Purono chhnera jama pore
Ghore pore thaki more!
(Everyone goes ROFL)
Bidipta: We have all done things as kids that we should not be doing and she would go and tell about them to my parents and I would get a beating. O hochhe ashol hingshute! (Laughs)
Sudipta: Tokhon ki mone hoto kortam ke jaane! (Laughs) It all feels stupid now! (Laughs) Didi has looked after us a lot....
Messages for each other
Bidipta: I would ask her to calm down. She has cooled down a lot though. Actually, she is particular. I want her to understand that in a workspace, things will not be the way you want them to be... times have changed. Nijer kaj tuku kore beriye ja. You don’t have to think about everyone.
Sudipta: I want her to play different kinds of characters now. She is so versatile. This would be my suggestion for the producers and directors too. Cast her in various kinds of roles.
“I always prefer handloom and sustainable. Handloom is slowly dying. This is an endeavour to keep this art alive. Fashion for me is for keepsakes”— Suchismita Dasgupta
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
Hair and make-up: Abhijit Paul
Assisted by: Sananda Mondal Laha
Jewellery: Karishmaz The Silver Story
Location: Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences