It is the early 2000s and an unassuming girl from Lake Gardens, Kolkata, is making her way through the Jadavpur University campus, armed with an English literature degree and aspirations of discovering herself through journalism. Anasuya Sengupta seems to have her life charted out. But life, of course, has its own plans. Little does Anasuya — fresh out of her teenage years — know what life has in store for her come 2024.
“It’s a dream come true. Except it’s a dream I never dreamt,” laughs Anasuya, all set to grace the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for her lead role in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless. “I received the news when Konstantin sent me a link to the press conference announcing the Cannes official selections. When our film’s name was announced, I jumped out of the chair with ecstasy!” recalls Anasuya to My Kolkata over video call.
‘The Shameless is one of those rare films where the sex worker is not being gazed upon as the bechari’
At the Theatre Debussy premiere of The Shameless on May 17, Anasuya plays Renuka, a vagabond seeking refuge in a northern Indian community of sex workers after fleeing from Delhi on being charged with homicide. “Sex work has been designed into society since time immemorial. There are several who benefit from it. However, the only people who don’t are the women who lie at its very centre. The Shameless is one of those rare films where the sex worker is not being gazed upon as the bechari,” says Anasuya, whose training for the film included running 3km everyday (to get into the mindset of someone on the run) besides practising mental isolation to better bring out the survival arc of her character.
Having starred in a supporting role for Anjan Dutta’s Madly Bangalee (2009), Anasuya dabbled in theatre for sometime before shifting from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2013. “As a production designer in Mumbai, the projects I hold the closest to my heart include Sanjeev Sharma’s Saat Uchakkey (2016), starring the likes of Manoj Bajpayee and Anupam Kher, and Srijit Mukherji’s Forget Me Not, starring Ali Fazal as part of the Netflix anthology Ray (2021). If one were to recall the ending sequence featuring Fazal being wheelchaired through different locations in a dream sequence, one would realise the magnitude of the effort that lies in production. The entire set for Forget Me Not was built on parallel planes to achieve this, it’s one of the largest production sets I have ever designed!” describes Anasuya, who also lent her expertise to the arresting visual panorama of Netflix’s Masaba Masaba.
“All through my years in Mumbai, although connected to the world of art in some form or the other, a part of me felt lost, claustrophobic, almost devoid of free expression,” shares Anasuya. So, in 2021, she decided to take a leap of faith and shift to Goa in pursuit of an awakening. “For a Bollywood girl to shift out of Mumbai is nothing short of blasphemy. I was unaware of how financially sustainable the decision was or where my career curve would meander. However, amidst the chaos, it was my father who held my hand. He asked: ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ And that sealed the deal.”
‘Even the most victimised people have love inside them, waiting to nourish another’
Anasuya and her co-star Omara Shetty unwinding after shoot Courtesy Anasuya Sengupta
Anasuya and award-winning director Bojanov had only been Facebook friends when the former was caught off guard on receiving a request to audition for a role in the latter’s Hindi film. “When Anasuya sent across her audition tape, it was a yes [from me] at first shot. I’m now on the lookout for Anasuya’s Bulgarian twin to cast in my next project,” reveals Bojanov.
Underpinned by fierce imagery and robust frames, The Shameless is a noir thriller set against the backdrop of the centuries-old devadasi system. At its centre lies the tale of Renuka’s illicit affair with a teeanger named Devika (Omara Shetty), who is initially sheltered from entering sex work owing to physical ailments, but not for long. “Even the most victimised people have love inside them, waiting to nourish another. Both Renuka and Anasuya believe in fighting to keep hope and love alive, that’s what ties my character and me together,” believes Anasuya.
Anasuya with Konstantin Bojanov Courtesy Anasuya Sengupta
Shot in Nepal and Mumbai over a month and a half with a mostly local crew, the film also stars Anasuya’s off-screen bestie, Tanmay Dhanania, as Renuka’s confidante, and veteran actor Mita Vashisht as Devika’s grandmother. Although there is no India release date yet, this Lake Gardens girl hopes to invite the fare into her hometown soon. “Audiences are about to get their socks knocked off! I'm looking forward to it!” beams Anasuya, before logging off to catch her flight to Cannes.
