A new shade

Mamata ShankarPhoto Arunangsu Roy Chowdhruy

Mamata Shankar is a mature and competent actress. A remarkable discovery of Mrinal Sen, she is also a gifted dancer. Never after meaningless glamour, she has always given preference to quality cinema. She has acted in memorable films like “Mrigaya”, “Dakhal”, “Grihajuddha” and “Agantuk”. The directors she worked with include Goutam Ghose, Buddhadeb Das Gupta and late Rituparno Ghosh though it was Satyajit Ray who extracted the best from her as an actress.On hearing that the legendary Dilip Kumar is keen to see her, Mamata Shankar immediately recalled his films like “Ganga Jamuna”, “Ram Aur Shyam” and “Sagina Mahato”. Age has not dimmed her memory of seeing the star in person when she was young. “I remember my mother Amala Shanker and I were at Roxy Miniature Theatre for a special screening. I was in uniform as I was picked up from school by mother. At Roxy I saw Yusuf Saab pass by. The charisma and charm he exuded was simply unmatched. I still tell my sons about it.”

After a gap of four decades, Mamata Shankar will be seen in a Hindi film “Pink” opposite Amitabh Bachhan.

Excerpts from an interaction:

Why did you accept “Pink”?

Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, a talented director approached me through Amal Ghosh who is like an elder brother. Then Soojit Sircar personally called me and stated my character was a cameo but substantial. He assured me if I accepted it, people would remember me for the role I play the wife of Amitabh Bachhan in “Pink”. The film shows depicts him as a stern man who is rough on the outside. When he is with his wife he receives solace from her and never throws any tantrums. I have spoken my own lines in Hindi in “Pink”.

Your experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan.

He was courteous, humble and truly professional at work. I knew him since the time he was working at Kolkata. We came across each other at a residence of a common friend at New Alipore. It was a reunion after a long time. From day one of shooting he made it easy for me to work with him. I was sceptical about a shot and wanted a retake. Amitji encouraged me by saying, “Darun Hocche” (well done) in Bengali. Being a Satya Sai Baba devotee also helped me a lot to come out of my initial nervousness.

How was it working with Satyajit Ray?

With Satyajit Ray I worked in “Ganashatru”, “Shakha Proshakha” and “Agantuk”. Manik Kaku (Satyajit Ray) was methodical and very precise in his approach. However he never bound me meter and chord.

Please share your experiences of working with Mrinal Sen.

I was discovered by Mrinal Sen in “Mrigaya”. Then I worked with him in “Ekdin Pratidin” and “Kharij”. Memories of “Mrigaya” are fresh in my mind though forty years have passed. It appears as if I finished shooting just the other day. Mrinal Sen had a ready script but improvised whilst shooting if the situation required. Both Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sent had unique approaches to work.

Will you accept any more Hindi films?

I am always open to creative and constructive ideas. Whoever approaches me with an ideal script is welcome. It may be in Hindi or Bengali. If my character has substance, suits me well, I will certainly opt for it. I have no inhibitions in declaring I am choosy and specific about films I accept. I am basically a spontaneous and emotional person. Never have I been too ambitious. I just completed shooting an 18-minute short film in Bengali “Kato Katha Kolkata” along with Soumitra Chatterjee. It is directed by Anshuman Chakraborty. I enjoyed working in this experimental film.