Actress Aahana Kumra is known for her out-of-the-box choices when it comes to films and speaking her mind. The Lipstick Under My Burkha and Khuda Haafiz actress was in Kolkata on Saturday and did touristy things in the city. CT caught up with her about her impromptu visit, her love for theatre, films and more. Excerpts.

Aahana had posted her Kolkata pictures with a caption quoting Amitabh Bachchan ‘if one needs inspiration, one should come to Kolkata’.

“The simplicity of the city really inspires me,” said the India Lockdown actress. “I have many friends here and just love the city. The beauty of Kolkata also lies in the fact that the city never changes, I have been coming here for 20 years now,” she said. Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal, who is shooting in Kolkata invited her over.

“He invited me to have lunch with him and Tony da (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury), said the actress. “Everyone from the set of their next movie was there too. I loved the fact that the food I had on set was home cooked,” said Aahana who enjoyed a hearty meal of Kolkata-style fish and mutton on set.

“Many big films don’t work because the Indian audience has become very smart now, they want fresh and original content and cannot be fooled,” said Kumra, adding, “We have a lot of stories to tell, we just need to look into our periphery and not imitate the West. We need to make more heartland movies and Bengali cinema is doing that. It is the everyday stories that people connect with. If we look at India’s feat at the Cannes, it is these stories that made it to the global platform."

“Both theatre and movies have given me immense love and an understanding of my profession. Theatre is just like life, it doesn’t give you a second chance. But then it is also about how you accept, adapt and move on. Theatre also helps you connect with the audience. Kolkata has the best audience I have ever seen in my life.”

Aahana believes, the beauty of cinema lies in its simplicity, and Satyajit Ray and other Bengali filmmakers aced this art. “When at film school, I watched the Apu trilogy and was awe struck by the simplicity of the film and Ray. Charulata, Aparajito, are stories that stay with you,” said Kumra, adding, “Now we aren’t making movies that can become classics. We’re just wound up in numbers.”

“My Kolkata visit happened under funny circumstances. I was shooting in Goa and was supposed to be here for a play but the play got cancelled last minute but I decided to come down anyway as I love being in the city,” she said.

Like a true tourist, the actress loves all things Kolkata, heritage eateries included. “I love being on Park Street because of Mocambo and Peter Cat there. I love Chelo kebab. I went sari shopping and love the handloom here,” she added.

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“I went to Kalighat on Saturday afternoon. It was raining that time and it felt so good and peaceful”

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“I’d love to work with Shoojit Sircar & Tony da. I’d have loved to work with Pradeep Sarkar but sadly that cannot happen. Films like Parineeta aren’t made everyday”