I wasn’t a go-getter, says Raima Sen

A known face in the Bengali film industry, Raima Sen has ventured into Bollywood far less — Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd and Parineeta are among her successful stints. Next, the actress will be seen in a film opposite Kay Kay Menon called Vodka Diaries. In a candid interview, she talks about her latest project, her contemporaries and why Bollywood is ahead of regional cinema.

What’s Vodka Diaries all about?
It’s a thriller. I am playing Roshini Banerjee, the owner of a nightclub. Kay Kay Menon is an investigation officer. He examines the murders in my club. I wanted to work with  Kay Kay again after we were paired together in Honeymoon Travels. I think he is a fantastic co-star. The project got me excited because it is a gripping script. Besides, I haven’t worked in a thriller in Bollywood as yet.

Why do you think there is dearth of thriller films in Bollywood?
The audience’s taste keeps changing — they keep jumping from romantic to thriller to period. What I think is a good script may not work with audiences but you have to take that risk.

You have been juggling between Bengali and Hindi films. What kind of scripts have you been receiving from Bollywood?
Right now after Bollywood Diaries, I am doing a lot more Hindi films. I took a sabbatical for two years because I was busy with a Bengali film in Kolkata. Now, I am getting interesting offers so I just have to sit in Mumbai, select the scripts that interest me and get back to work. I still take up one or two projects in Bengal.

Do you feel regional cinema has got better content compared to Bollywood?
With the kind of content Bollywood is coming up with, I think it has some great stories. In fact I would say Bollywood is a lot ahead. There are some great Bengali films but it doesn’t have the kind of platform that Bollywood has.

Is there a sense of insecurity when you see your contemporaries doing well in Bollywood?
If I had worked a little harder, I would have done way better. People used to call me for scene tests and meetings but I never went for those. I never had a publicist. I wasn’t a go-getter. Whatever I got was out of luck. If I worked a little harder, I would have done much better for myself.

As an actress, have you set any limitations for yourself?
I don’t mind wearing a bikini if I have the perfect figure for it. If I have to wear a bikini, I will ask my director to give me some time to get myself into proper shape.  I have also done many lovemaking scenes so I am not averse to that either. I am not going to go topless or something however. At the end of the day, my mother is a member of Parliament. I have to think twice before going bold. But having said that, I don’t mind wearing a bikini if you are putting me in a pool. These shots do need to fit the sequence.