Indian actress Seema Biswas plays a role with rough sketches of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Nandita Roy-Shiboprosad Mukherjee's upcoming Bengali film Raktabeej 2. Ahead of the film's Durga Puja on September 26, IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh speaks to Biswas on the film and more... Excerpts

Q. How did you get Raktabeej 2?

A. I have known Shiboprosad Mukherjee since 1995. He was playing my son's role in the Bengali film Lajja which was shelved. On one fine evening, Shibu (Shiboprosad) called me up and wished to work with me. He then narrated the story which was interesting and something very engaging to the audience. Though my role is not very big, it's interesting.

I heard so much about Shibu's work but couldn’t get a chance to see his movies which she did with Nandita-di (Nandita Roy). After reading the script, I watched Raktabeej 1 (Raktabeej) and eventually started shooting. I loved the Nandita Roy-Shiboprosad Mukherjee combination because of their understanding, bonding and lack of any sort of clash.

Seema Biswas in Raktabeej 2 trailer. Photo: Screen-grab/Windows Production YouTube

Q. How does it feel to finally join hands with Shiboprosad years after Lajja was shelved? Is it a cosmic connection?

A. Yeah, we have that connection always. We have been in touch since 1995. He used to visit my place while travelling to Bombay (Mumbai) and I did the same in reverse. Our terms have never been professional but personal. Contrary to my usual practice of going through the script and then taking a call even if some stalwarts feature in the cast, I dived into Raktabeej 2 without a second thought due to our personal bonding and trust with Shibu.

Q. You played PM Basu in The Family Man and now your character in Raktabeej 2 is modelled after Sheikh Hasina. Do you consider yourself as an automatic choice for these roles?

A. Sometimes I think filmmakers love me as a person. I don't know as an artiste or what, but they love me. But I don’t like getting the offers of only political characters, it gives me a feeling of a limited actor. When Sanjay Leela Bhansali offered me Khamoshi (Khamoshi: The Musical) after seeing a rough cut of Bandit Queen, everyone including Shekhar Kapur and Ram Gopal Varma discouraged me to do it as they felt I would get typecast as the mother's role. As Bandit Queen had triggered controversy even prior to its release, I wanted to accept Khamoshi and prove that I was an artiste and not a controversial item.

Q. What kind of research work did you do to play your character modelled after Sheikh Hasina in Raktabeej 2?

A. My character, whose name is Sultana, is not specifically Sheikh Hasina. She is no doubt a political figure of a neighbouring country. Sultana has rough sketches of Sheikh Hasina. My process of developing a character is from inner to outer. My thought process always dictates the mannerisms of my character. I always think about how the character is supposed to be in a given situation and that dictates the mannerisms automatically. I didn't need to go through a thorough research work for Raktabeej 2 as Sultana is not Sheikh Hasina as a whole.

Q. How was sharing the screen-space with a legend like Victor Banerjee?

A. I was both excited and afraid. On several occasions in the past, I had the opportunity to come onboard with Victor Banerjee for films but didn't fructify due to date issues. So I was finger-crossed this time. I was scared because of his brilliance in acting. I was apprehensive about his baggage but to my surprise, he was such an easy-going and friendly person. Our scenes turned out to be very spontaneous and it was a wonderful experience.

(L-R) Victor Banerjee and Seema Biswas in Raktabeej 2 trailer. Photo: Screen-grab/Windows Production YouTube

Q. Tell us how was your experience of being a part of the recent release Jolly LLB 3?

A. I have come across a fantastic writer, director and narrator (Subhash Kapoor, writer-director of Jolly LLB 3)! We shot with more than 300 members at 52 degrees in Rajasthan but all were so supportive. It was a wonderful experience. I am sure people are loving the film.