I’ve never been greedy: Ananya Chatterjee

In her 25-year career, actress Ananya Chatterjee has faced her share of ups and downs. At times, she’s been labelled as ‘snooty’, much like her character Roopa in Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei’. Yet, through it all, one thing has remained constant - her dedication to taking on roles that are meaningful to her, regardless of their length.

“My experiences have shown me that my decisions were right. I have no regrets because I always believed in hard work and quality over quantity. I’ve never been greedy. I waited for good roles, wanting people to judge me by my work. The challenges I faced were just part of the path I chose to walk,” she smiled.

Ananya is one of the few Bengali actresses who have collaborated with renowned filmmakers like Atanu Ghosh, Suman Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly, Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Kamaleswar Mukherjee and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. While her role in Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Jaatiswar’ was brief, she takes on a more prominent role in ‘Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei’. When asked if being selective has cost her any significant opportunities, Ananya said she doesn’t feel she missed out on roles she could have done better. “Very few Bengali films here feature strong female characters,” said the ‘Dwando’ and ‘Iti Mrinalini’ actress.

Fame came early in Ananya’s career. In 2010, she won the National Award for ‘Best Actress’ for Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Abohomaan’. During that time, she received 35-40 film offers but declined almost all of them. “I have no regrets. Only two of those films were ever released. As an actor, I’ve always wanted to do good roles, but the length of the role was never important to me. What matters is creative satisfaction and the chance to bring my own perspective to the character, as I did with Roopa in ‘Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei’,” she said.

Her experience on ‘Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei’ was unique, as she worked alongside 11 actors, with only her and Sauraseni Mitra representing the women. When asked what makes Srijit different as a director, she said, “He has an incredible ability to make a story relevant to the present day. The original text of this film is quite old, but he has added fresh perspectives and shaped its narrative for today’s audience.”

The Bengali movie, an official adaptation of Basu Chatterjee’s Hindi film ‘Ek Ruka Hua Faisla’, explores themes like preconceived notions. Ananya admitted there have been times when her initial judgments often proved to be wrong. With the film receiving rave reviews, she’s happy that it’s getting the recognition it deserves. Ananya, who has been visiting theaters to gauge audience reactions, is soon set to make her Hindi debut. She also has several upcoming Bengali films in her kitty including ‘Madame Sengupta’, ‘Putul Nacher Itikatha’ and ‘Annapurna’.