Having had an illustrious career in films across languages, Swastika Mukherjee can no longer be called just a Bengali actor. While her primary body of work is in the language, she has delivered commendable projects in Hindi with titles like Paatal Lok, Qala, Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, and Dil Bechara. She has even acted in the Marathi film Aaron, for which she mastered the language.
With 26 years of work behind her, Swastika Mukherjee remains nonchalant, focused only on good work and never on people's unsolicited opinions.
Now, she is set to star in Devashish Mukherjee's upcoming action thriller Gandhari alongside Taapsee Pannu, Mita Vashisht and Chhaya Kadam. Girls are running the world, indeed.
But all we see of Swastika Mukherjee in the Gandhari trailer is a blink-and-miss glimpse - cold yet lingering, enough to intrigue.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Swastika Mukherjee opens up about how Gandhari is different this time, and the one question she had before coming on board.
Swastika Mukherjee On Endless 'Mother' Roles
For those familiar with her repertoire, Swastika Mukherjee has essayed the role of a mother countless times - cold and demanding in Qala, caring and doting in Dil Bechara, and many more over the years. She now feels she simply cannot take on another.
She says, "I saw the trailer the day before yesterday and the first thing that struck me was, thank God I'm not playing a mother. Taapsee is doing that because I've played trillions of mothers."
She adds, "All shapes and sizes, all hair lengths, belonging to every socio-economic strata, in Bengali, Marathi, Hindi... I've played mothers to toddlers and even to kids ten years younger than me. I'm just left to play a mother to someone my own age. So when the call came, I was just happy I wasn't playing one."
"If you see my body of work in Bengal, no one has played as many mothers on screen as I have. There's no mother left for me to do. So I'm like, guys, however exciting or interesting, don't come to me with mother roles. I've even told my daughter, can you call me something else and not mum? I'm so tired of hearing that word I tell her, call me by my name, call me aunt," she laughs.
Is Her Gandhari Character Grey, Negative... Or Something Else?
The fleeting glimpse of Swastika Mukherjee in the Gandhari trailer sparks curiosity. She radiates a character poised to stir up a storm, with a chilling vibe.
Without revealing much, she says, "It's something I haven't explored much before, that's for sure. And I think we're living in a time when we can't portray anyone - whether on screen or in real life - as completely black, grey or negative. We all have angels and demons residing together. So yes, you'll see the warm side and the cold side together."
She adds, "For me to say yes to this project, of course it was Netflix, and Devashish is one of my favourite directors. It was a privilege working with him and being guided by him. The film has a stellar cast - Taapsee, Meeta Vashisht, Chhaya Kadam, Ishwak (with whom I worked in Paatal Lok), and a bunch of actors doing so well in the web series circuit. We had a lot of fun."
With modesty intact, she admits that after 26 years in the profession, it's increasingly difficult to find characters she hasn't already played.
About Gandhari
The plot revolves around Bani (Taapsee Pannu), whose life falls apart when her daughter is abducted from a train. Set in the fictional eerie town of Joypurra, the twist comes when Bani loses her vision - but not her determination. She trains herself to fight her shortcomings and battle through a dangerous underworld as she sets out to rescue her daughter.
Directed by Devashish Mukherjee and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, Gandhari streams on Netflix from September 3.
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