It was a brilliant debut in a Hindi film by an actress. In the film God Mother a chit of a dusky and doe-eyed unknown actress stood on her own opposite Shabana Azmi, one of the all time great actresses of Indian cinema.

None knew her name or background. Later, we learnt that she was Raima Sen, one of the daughters of Moon Moon Sen, and granddaughter of legendary Suchitra Sen.

Raima soon became a known face of Bengali Cinema that had witnessed a quiet revival since the new breed of directors like Rituparno Ghosh had emerged on the scene. She has been part of major Bengali films of recent times that include Anuranan, Bong Connection, and Chokher Bali.

She has also been seen in mainstream Hindi films like Parineeta, and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. She has done more than seventeen films in Telugu, Bengali, English, and Hindi in the last seven years. Her recent film Manorama Six Feet Under is also creating a lot of buzz among the aficionados of cinema.

Excerpts from an interview:

Your roles in Hindi films are not as significant as they should be. Why?

It is not like that. My role in God Mother was very significant. I was noticed in Parineeta as well. Honeymoon Travels was another exciting role that won me kudos for my work.

I don’t really look at my roles in terms of their length in minutes and number of scenes. They should be the key elements of the story and provide me the scope to express myself as an actor.

What is your role in Manorama Six Feet Under?

I play Sheetal, a girl from a small town, who faces some problems in her life and goes to Satyveer Singh (Abhay Deol) for help who writes detective novels and also works as a detective.

Director Navdeep Singh is a first time filmmaker. What makes you take such risks?

Navdeep was not new to me. I had already worked with him in an ad short please, don't ask me which one. It is not aired yet I appreciated his intelligence and approach to work. He came to me with the film’s offer with his script. I read the script, liked my character, and agreed to do the film.

Working with first time directors is not new to me and I have rarely been disappointed by their work. They are more committed and hard working.

Sheetal is a common middle class girl, but such characters are glamourised in Bollywood and Balaji Serials beyond recognition.

Fortunately, this is not the case in Manorama Six feet Under. I am not a middle class girl in ‘Bollywoodian’ or ‘Balaji’ mould in this film. My make up and get up are realistic and suit my character. My roles in Godmother, Chokher Bali, Honeymoon Travels and Japanese Wife are not glamourised either.

How was it shooting for this film?

It was a very exciting experience for me, working with an ensemble cast and a competent and committed director. The level of involvement and commitment was very high on everyone’s part. I also gained a lot of confidence in the process.

Navdeep is not a Bengali and this gave me an opportunity to brush up on my Hindi diction since we conversed in Hindi on the sets.

Do you find any difference in Bengali and Hindi films?

Except the language, everything else is the same.

You are mostly seen in art house films.

Most of our Bengali films fall into this category. I don’t differentiate between commercial and art house films. I am also choosy about my work. I would love to do Masala Hindi movies though. I keep shuttling between Kolkata and Mumbai and that creates a lot of confusion.

People in Mumbai take me to be a Bengali film actress. Whereas Kolkatans feel that I am lost to Bollywood. I miss quite a few good projects in this process. I will be concentrating more on Hindi cinema.

What is your role in Japanese Wife?

It is an Aparna Sen film. I am lucky to get an opportunity to work with her. I play a widow in the film. She is a methodical director. She has a 20-day workshop before the shooting of the film. The actual shooting starts after a gap of two months. It may turn out to be one of her best films.

What are your forthcoming films?

Apart from Japanese Wife, I am doing Khela, another Bengali film. Manisha Koirala is also in it. It is a film within a film. I am doing a costume designer’s role.

Another Bengali film is Sunglass, where I come in a guest role. Mukhbir is a Hindi film. It has been ready since the last three months. I hope it is released soon. I have done Meera Nair’s short film Migration where I play the role of Shiny Ahuja’s wife. I am doing another short film with Sudhir Mishra.

What happened to Rimi Sen’s and your film Bachelor?

It is not yet released. I don’t know if it will ever be released.

Do you ever seek any advice from your mother?

Never. I need not. I am a grown up girl.