New Delhi: Swastika Mukherjee may be new to the world of Hindi cinema but in Bengal, she is one of the most popular faces on celluloid. The light-eyed actress is making her grand Bollywood debut in Dibakar Banerjee's much talked about film 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' and has already made heads turn with her striking presence in the film's trailers.
The actress, whose father Santu Mukherjee is also an actor in Bengali films and TV serials, began her career in 2003 in 'Hemanter Pakhi'. In little over a decade, Swastika has managed to work both in commercial and art house cinema. "Post 2008-09, new-wave cinema in Bengal started doing well and I shifted to doing more meaningful cinema," said Swastika in a exclusive interview to IBNLive.com.
What took her this long to enter Bollywood, we ask. "I've been asked this question often. I wasn't ever that desperate to join Bollywood, honestly. Was not comfortable to shift base to Bombay and start afresh when I was so comfortable working here. Besides the roles that were offered to me before were a certain kind- you know, thrillers with less screen space or roles which required skin show and I was never keen on doing such films."
The actress admits that she couldn't have asked for a better debut than 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy.' "Everything fell into place when Dibakar offered the film, you know. And I loved the way he envisioned Angoori Devi, my character in the film."
Swastika stated that even though 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' is set in the 1940s, the film is very contemporary. "The kind of music Dibakar has used, the way characters have been written- everything is very contemporary. I'd say it is a period film with contemporary characters."
News has it that Swastika's character, Angoori Devi, is based on legendary female spy Mata Hari. "It isn't based on any particular character from history. There was no reference point while playing the character as such and I like it that way as I am an impulsive actor. Manish Malhotra, Dibakar and his wife Richa sat for hours to dicuss my look and referred to Hollywood stars of that era but that's all." Calling her character a diva, Swastika said, "Angoori Devi is an anctress of the 1940s who has whole lot of baggage. One never feels clean about her, she is the sort of person who can't be trusted. She is not a very clean personality."
Swastika is hopeful that post the release of the film, interesting offers from Bollywood will come her way. "I want to work with new people in new set ups. I have worked in Bengali film industry for so long that I have practically played every character one can think of. I have even shaved my head for a role- what more can I do now! Besides, there is a certain level of comfort zone here in Kolkata which I need to step out from. I am hoping good offers will come my way after the release of 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'," says Swastika before signing off.
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