Ushoshi Sengupta's dreamy eyes belie the bubbling energy within her. Modelling, acting, painting, poetry, direction... there is so much to do in this world, says the Miss India Universe 2010. Conversation with the 24-year-old is easy, as it meanders through her many loves.
In Kochi for the launch of her debut film, A. Sajeed's ‘Goodbye December' in Malayalam, the Bengali beauty says the celluloid has always enticed her more than anything else. “Even if I were given a chance to act in a Chinese or a Japanese movie, I'd do it with utmost love,” she says. Malayalam happened by chance. She was in Mumbai to audition for a new show on MTV when Sajeed spotted her. “The audition did not happen and I am glad, as I got something bigger and better.”
Dream come true
Ushoshi, who plays a Bengali married to a Malayali, is not nervous about her role, as she has “plenty of Malayali friends and knows the Malayali culture quite well. Bengalis and Malayalis are not very different,” she says, laughing. However, she has a whole team on the sets to help her understand the language and its subtle nuances better.
Films, she says, seemed to be the perfect, logical progression in the career graph of a model. And for someone who “sleeps, drinks and eats movies”, the offer was a dream come true. “Malayalam films are known for the strength of their plots. And I knew I would be able to explore my acting skills here,” says the rookie who has bagged a Bollywood film, too.
Miss India Universe
A bright student, Ushoshi chose modelling in 2008, walking the ramp for big names in the fashion industry. A couple of commercials came her way, too. But, it was the Miss India Universe title that transformed her life. Being crowned by Sushmita Sen, the very person whom she idolises, Ushoshi zoomed to cloud nine. “Especially for someone from a middle class family, the success meant the world to me,” she says.
The first winner of the “I Am She” Miss India Universe pageant in India, which sends the winner to the Miss Universe contest, she says it is not just about modelling. Winners are given scholarships to pursue courses in films and fashion at prestigious institutes abroad. Ushoshi won a three-month scholarship to study at the Film Academy in New York. “But, I wanted to gain some real experience in acting before taking the course.”
Kolkata, where she was born, features often in the conversation and she credits the city for the creative exuberance in her. “It is impossible for a Bengali, who has been exposed to so much music and arts, to be indifferent to them. Maybe that's why I want to do everything,” says Ushoshi, who loves dance and is currently learning Kathak under Pandit Veeru Krishnan. Some day, she says, she will direct a film too.
The first time she came to Kochi was in 2011 to walk the ramp for designers Aruna Singh and Sanjana John was at the Kochi Fashion Week. “It was raining so hard, I have never seen something more beautiful,” she says. Memories of the traditional Kerala cuisine, too, are beautiful, she says. Diets don't bother her, “I was born with thin genes”.
