Raima Sen talks to Aveek Bhowmik about her grandmother Suchitra Sen’s reclusive life, carrying the illustrious legacy forward and her forthcoming films

Raima Sen is perhaps passing through the best phase of her career. For the first time she’ll be seen sharing screen space with her sister Riya in an upcoming film titled Seasons Greetings. Apart from that, she has Aparna Sen’s The Japanese Wife, Rituparno Ghosh’s Khela and documentary filmmaker Madhureeta Anand’s Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, ready for release. Above all, her film Anuranan, directed by debutante Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy-Chowdhury, won the Best Bengali Film Award in the recently announced National Awards.

On a modest note, Raima says, “I could say my career is getting better in terms of the offers I am getting. However, my best is yet to come.”

Being the granddaughter of yesteryears’ stalwart Bengali actor Suchitra Sen, Raima has immense expectations and an illustrious legacy to carry forward. And she handles it with absolute finesse.

“My grandmother inspires me in every way, especially as a woman. Her acting is inspiring but I am different from her. I can’t really copy her. I try to do it my way. There are a lot of expectations from me, especially in Bengal. I will have to prove myself. I can’t let the legacy down,” she says.

Raima even has an uncanny resemblance to her grandmother in terms of looks – much more than either her mother, actress Moon Moon Sen, or sister Riya. Even the one role that Raima wishes she had done is the one essayed by her grandmother in the film Aandhi.

However, the whole world is speculating about everything related to Suchitra Sen, as she has decided to live the life of a recluse.

When asked what she feels about her grandmother being a mystery to the outside world, Raima says, “If she chooses to be a mystery, she has every right to do so. I respect her decision. So, let her remain that way.”

Coming back to her films, Raima is very excited about Seasons Greetings where she and Riya play sisters. Wasn’t there any sibling rivalry? “We’ve never had any sibling rivalry. In fact, we are the best of friends and very much alike,” says Raima.

Apart from Seasons Greetings, Raima will be seen playing a pivotal role in Madhureeta Anand’s first feature film, Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, which the filmmaker says ‘is a fun film’. Madhureeta also praises Raima for her ‘excellent performance’, saying, “She is one of the most instinctive actors we have around. She doesn’t need to do much preparation for a role.”

Over the years, Raima has done exceptionally well even in art-house cinema. A breakthrough role was that of Ashalata in Chokher Bali. One of her next releases, The Japanese Wife, is also an art-house film.

The film, based on a short story of the same name authored by Kunal Basu, narrates the love story between an Indian schoolteacher and a Japanese girl that began with the two exchanging letters.

Raima says the film is an extension of the book. “Hopefully it’s better than or as good as the book. Since it’s adapted from a short story, I presume the film will have more depth to the characters,” she adds.

Raima, who has spent a lot of her childhood in Kolkata, is nowadays constantly shuttling between her hometown and Mumbai.

Getting nostalgic, she says, “I love Kolkata because it’s my home. I miss the jhaal muris (masala bhel) and puchkas (pani puri). When asked to choose between Mumbai and Kolkata (which city she enjoys living in more), she says, “I love Mumbai more, in the sense that I work here more now. It’s a fast-paced city and has a great mix of people. I love the open mindedness here.”