Raima Sen on the devil behind her child-like persona and the woman power in her life

What’s new on the career front?
I am doing Aparna Sen’s ‘Japanese Wife’. We have already completed one schedule. It’s a love story. I play a widow of an eight-year-old. Aparnaji felt that I suited the role. She is a very affectionate human being. If she speaks loudly to me one minute, the next minute she comes to hug and kiss me.

For a Kolkata girl, has Mumbai now become home?
Yes! I like the pace of this city. Kolkata is very laidback. If I return to Kolkata after a few days, I feel everything is just the same. But when I am away from Mumbai even for a few days, I feel so much has changed.

As an actor what is your USP?
Given a good director, I can be moulded into any character. While my sister Riya (Sen) is photogenic, I don’t have an easy face. Photo shoots tire me.

What’s your equation with Riya today?
We are very much like friends. As I am the older one, I feel protective about her. Riya is very strong emotionally. I admire the way she deals with situations. Though I have an innocent face, I am the devil. But she’s no less a devil (laughs).

Is your grandmother (veteran Suchitra Sen) feeling better?
Yes, she’s back home from hospital. She had high fever, the reason for which could not be diagnosed. I admire her strength, her will power and her dignity. I want to be like her, if not as an actor (which I can never be), but as a person. She doesn’t gossip. About 25 years ago, she decided to stay away from the media and she has kept her word. She is happy reading, watching films and praying.

What do you value about your mother and actor Moon Moon Sen?
My mother is very headstrong. I respect her advice.

How do you unwind?
I watch films and read. I practise kathak. Presently, I am attending harmonium classes for a film.

Do you feel the need for a steady relationship?
If it happens why not? I’d like my man to be intelligent, loyal and make me laugh. But I am in no hurry to get married.

What’s the best thing a man has told you?
That I look innocent and that I have lovely eyes.

What’s your plan for the future?
I go with the flow and do not stress about the future. I don’t know what I will be doing next year. But I am not going to be stuck up here.