Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; August 13, 2023)

Raima Sen is looking forward to working in a Bengali film after a hiatus of almost three years. “My last Bengali film, Dwitiyo Purush, released in 2020, so I’m eagerly looking forward to the shoot of Hawa Bodol 2, which also stars Parambrata Chattopadhyay. In between, I acted in a Bengali web series, but films are always special. Moreover, we’ll be flying to London in mid-August for the shoot — the bonus of working in this film (laughs),” the actress told us during an exclusive photoshoot and chat. Raima also spoke about her camaraderie with Parambrata, upcoming projects, Pujo plans and her personal life. Excerpts:

I have great camaraderie with Parambrata Chattopadhyay, both on and off screen. Even the audience wants to see us more on screen. We’ve done innumerable ad commercials together. Now we’ll be working together in the sequel of Hawa Bodol, which was appreciated by the audience.

I owe a lot to the Bangla film industry because both my grandmother (Suchitra Sen) and mother (Moon Moon Sen) built their careers here and I have quite a few good Bengali films on my resume too.

I’m travelling to Georgia in September to shoot for a Hindi film that also stars Ronit Roy. I’m also doing a Hindi OTT project. So, this year, I’ll be literally living out of the suitcase, but no complaints (smiles)!

I’m happy that none of my past relationships worked. I deserve much better
I don’t want to get married right now. I’m not in that headspace. But if I get a good companion, I might think it over. Right now, it’s only about doing good work. I don’t regret my past relationships and trust me, I’m happy that none of them worked. (Laughs) I deserve much better!

Raima’s plans for Durga Puja
I’m not sure if my work will permit me to be in Kolkata during Durga Puja. But I’ll try to be around, as I had missed Pujo last year too because we were in Goa celebrating my father’s birthday. The city is so vibrant during Durga Puja! I don’t want to miss that this time. Moreover, I wear only saris during Pujo and ma does all our shopping. Dida used to do that in our childhood. My mother is the best when it comes to buying saris and jewellery and I completely trust her. Food is also an integral part of Pujo, so diet takes a back seat. For me, the festival is incomplete without enjoying some street food.

Pics: Prathamesh Bandekar
Makeup: Babusona Saha
Hair: Ginni Halder
Stylist: Sumit Sinha