While Swastika Mukherjee is a known face in Bengali cinema, audiences across India and beyond have got to know about this powerhouse performer in recent times thanks to OTT projects like Qala and Paatal Lok. Swastika was in Ahmedabad recently as a speaker at the Karnavati Literature and Film Festival 2023.

While answering a question about the importance of mental health after her session, Swastika, who has always been vocal about women’s rights and issues, shared, “When women talk about anxiety and depression, there are many men who relate it to their menstrual cycle and say, ‘Mahine ke woh din chal rahe hain kya?’ They need to understand that a woman’s mental health has got nothing to do with her menstrual cycle.”

In a chat with us, Swastika spoke about how OTT has given her national recognition, her memories of Ahmedabad and more.

While Swastika was already an established name in Bengali films, she started exploring Bollywood as she felt “bored”. “In the Bengali industry, people were very happy with what I was doing. I had a great career and I was being paid well. But after a point, I felt bored because there was no one to really push me. So, I thought of going somewhere else and starting from scratch. I’ve been trying to make things happen since the release of my Hindi film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015). As an artiste, it is important to move out of one’s comfort zone. It makes you work harder on your craft,” shares the actress.

She adds, “After Paatal Lok (2020), I received great feedback; people started asking me, ‘Where were you all this while?’ However, things were tough initially because I had to start from scratch. In Bollywood, while people are aware of what’s happening in the Punjabi film industry or down south, they are not deeply invested in what’s happening in Bengali cinema. So, as an actor, you have to keep your pride, ego and social status aside and keep auditioning. Unless aap Hindi shows/films karo, aap national audience ko dikhte nahi ho. But I’m glad that nine years of hard work and patience is being rewarded now.”

Swastika visited Ahmedabad “after almost 19 years” and this was her second visit to the city. She shares, “My sister used to study here, and my mom would come to Ahmedabad and stay with her for a month or two. I had come here once, and I have fond memories of shopping at Law Garden. The city has changed a lot since then. But I enjoy coming to Gujarat and visiting the Rann Utsav in Kutch with my daughter Anwesha is on my to-do list.”