‘I am my own cheerleader’

If you’re a woman and haven’t felt the sting of patriarchy, consider yourself lucky. Unlike most actresses in the Bengali film industry, Mimi Chakraborty hasn’t shied away from talking about pay disparity. She calls a spade a spade and openly shares how some leading Tollywood heroes tried to get her booted from films just so their girlfriends could be cast instead. “Eventually, they were the ones who got replaced,” she quipped. “Patriarchy isn’t just in the film industry. It’s everywhere. From the moment a girl is born, she has to deal with it.”

Right now, Mimi is riding high on the success of ‘Dainee’, her latest Bengali web series on ‘Hoichoi’, where she delivers a power-packed performance. But no matter how much she achieves, one question keeps popping up in her social media comments: When is she getting married? She simply ignores them. “It doesn’t matter if you’re working hard, taking care of your parents or even building a life for yourself. You’re only considered ‘complete’ if you’re married and have a child,” she shrugged. “I choose to focus on my work and let that do the talking.”

Much like Pata in ‘Dainee’, Mimi believes in fighting her battles head-on, with no godfather to back her. “If you know the right people in the industry, you definitely get an advantage. But I’ve only had my work to speak for me,” she admitted. “At the end of the day, my world is my home. Every morning, I look in the mirror where I’ve written, ‘I am grateful.’ I’m my own cheerleader. A pimple on my face? Doesn’t bother me anymore. It used to, but my time in politics took me closer to real people - people dealing with much bigger problems than mine,” said the ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’ actress.

This is Mimi’s second web series after ‘Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo’, which also tackled issues affecting women. If a script sparks her interest, she’s in, like ‘Dainee’, directed by Nirjhar Mitra. Witch hunts are still a grim reality in rural India and the numbers are staggering. A 2024 report showed over 75,000 women - mostly from backward castes - are still being branded as ‘daayans’ and subjected to violence and ostracism. “Growing up in North Bengal, I had heard stories, but working on ‘Dainee’ made me understand the horror of it even more,” she said.

With ‘Raktabeej 2’ set for a Durga Puja release, Mimi has a packed schedule. Last year, she broke the internet with her viral dance numbers ‘Laage Ura Dhura’ and ‘Dushtu Kokil’ from ‘Toofan’. So, does she plan to do more commercial films, now that audiences have lapped up ‘Khadaan’? “I’ve always said I’m up for hardcore masala movies. Give me two great dance numbers and pay me well, I’m in!” she laughed. “The length of the role doesn’t matter to me. After 13 years in the industry, I’m not insecure,” said Mimi, who also has a Bollywood biggie in her kitty.