Exclusive! Sohini Sarkar opens up on her journey of working as Rajlokkhi in Srikanto

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the Bengali actor opens up about her process of acting, long-lost love, and the secrets we all carry

Sohini Sarkar

Nine years ago, when Sohini Sarkar made her humdrum entry into films with Rupkatha Noy, few would have imagined that she would go on to become a household name. But today she’s arguably one of the most prominent names in the Kolkata film industry.

She started off with television by playing the title character in the 2011-2012 TV series Adwitiya. The actor delivered a noteworthy performance in the film Phoring in 2013 and in 2018 she was nominated at Filmfare Awards East for best actress in the leading role for the film Bibaho Diaries. She played Satyaboti several times, the better half of the sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi with panache and ease on the big screen. Recently, Sarkar was highly appreciated for her performance in Mandaar as Laili (Lady Macbeth), which created a benchmark.

Sarkar’s body of work itself is a testament to her ability, popularity, and diversity of her work.

Among her new works is Srikanto which is currently showing on Hoichoi. In this, Sarkar plays an enigmatic diva, a madcap romantic, and a sexually liberated individual, all at the same time. She looks stunning throughout, and performs with style and grace.

In a candid chat with OTTplay she shares her journey of life and career so far.

Suvo Noboborsho (greetings for Bengali New Year), Srikanto is already making a space for itself and you have a major part in that. So first tell us about your character.

Suvo Noboborsho to you as well. Well, my character’s name is Rajlokkhi and she turns into Piyali at some point. And there’s a long, stiff uphill journey involved which takes her from a small suburban locality and places her in between the cream, plush, aristocratic circle of Kolkata. And she’s reunited with Srikanto whom she used to know from her old days. People who have read the novel have an idea about the real context however this is not at all a period piece rather it’s a contemporary take where the makers are trying to establish a communication with today’s generation. But the basic emotions, feelings, obsession everything remains the same because we can’t change our basic structure or the way we function or react to a certain situation.

So, there’s a Demi Moore-Ashton Kutcher angle to this on-screen relationship between Rajlokkhi and Srikanto. She’s older than him?

Yes, according to the novel, Rajlokkhi is elder to Srikanto. I personally think that in today’s progressive society, these things should not matter because our views around these age-gap relationships are shaped by thousands of years of evolutionary psychology and generations of social and cultural norms. But the society still argues and disapproves of the age gap and couples end up receiving scrutiny of power dynamics.

Have you ever been in an offscreen relationship like that?

Offscreen? (chuckles) Oh my God!! Let me first remember (smiles). Maybe or maybe not (smiles). But to answer your question honestly, yes it happened once in my life. But the journey remained incomplete and unexplored. It was a halfhearted affair and it faded out gradually without a proper closure. But nobody gives a damn about these things nowadays.

Performers often refer to their own personal journey while essaying a certain character and sometimes they recall their own experiences to portray it better. So, did you go back to your life story while drawing reference points?

I have always approached everything with a challenging mindset. Be it cinema, OTT, or TV I have tried to deliver everything with a professional outlook. And as a person, my journey had its own fair share of ups and downs so far. In some instances, I have fought with myself, argued, and debated to arrive at a certain conclusion. And now I understand that whether it’s love, hate, obsession, pathos, or isolation everything is within me. It’s all there and as a professional actor I have gradually learned the trick to trigger my subconscious and I follow that method. It’s within my set skills to bring back that particular frame of mind. I can’t deduce the process of my preparation but yes, the faces are all available in the gallery of my mind and I need to pick the right one every time. That’s the trick.

So, there’s a constant process of learning, unlearning, and relearning involved. How long do you take to enter a new character and how fast can you forget a character?

It all depends on the depth of the character I’m playing. In 2013 I did a film and the process disturbed me hugely. It had a long-lasting impact on me as a person. Maybe I was too young at that point in time and I was not that experienced. I was caught in that loop for a while and was completely lost. The character had a traumatic psychological journey that shook me from the core.

Even today I can’t access my instant switch on, switch off button but I have gradually learned to bottle it up until it fades away completely. If you live in the past that’s depression and if you live in the future that’s anxiety so it’s better to hang on to the present and I constantly convince myself about that (smiles).

Does music in any way help you get in that groove right before the shot?

Absolutely, it helps tremendously. In fact, while shooting Srikanto I was hooked on a particular song “Amakey Nao” from our soundtrack and it helped me to paint that mood within myself. And it happened on several occasions and once the song was on, I was completely into the groove immediately.

And when I had a word with the director Sani Ghose Ray he appreciated and complimented your dedication and effort and he also mentioned that you’re a dream to work with. Do you wish to comment on that?

(Chuckles) Really, wow! That’s great to hear! I’m so thankful to Sani for considering me for this wonderful project and I also like to thank the entire team. It was a great environment and everyone from the team was super cooperative. It was fun to work with them. And I guess I’m an obedient actor. I listen to the discussions and follow a certain discipline but I do raise my doubts as well, and that too quite loudly (smiles). I can’t relate to cinematic realities at times. I prefer hardcore real embodiment of things but when it happens, I voice my doubts in order to quantify the logic. But they were super cool throughout the entire journey and it was a smooth ride.

How good are you at memorising dialogues?

Honestly, I’m quite bad in that department. But when I’m challenged with a monologue, I don’t try to learn it by heart. Rather I play with my perception of the situation and I try to draw a proportion between the two. I own up my lines and deliver. I cannot mug it up and throw out the entire thing.

But there are instances when I have to. During Mandaar I had to stick to my dialogues because I don’t speak that dialect so I can’t improvise. Or during Byomkesh Bakshi I had to learn the exact lines of Satyaboti because that’s a completely different era and I don’t speak that tongue.

Sometimes scripts are written so brilliantly that a performer can instantly relate to them. Like in Srikanto I loved the way the character of Indro Da has been crafted. If I was a boy I would opt for that character instantaneously.

Srikanto was shot in multiple locations and which one do you remember till now?

Puducherry! The streets, the ocean, the cultural heritage, and the overall environment were nothing less than magic. And coincidentally it was my birthday too and we had a great time together.

And lastly, according to you, what is the specialty of this musical retelling of Srikanto?

I can genuinely speak about my character. She’s dynamic in every sense and most importantly she’s a perfect reflection of a real person. She has multiple shades of both good and bad and she’s pretty clear about her ambitions and aware of her shortcomings as well. We all have secrets and we all carry the burden of unspoken truth and reality and she’s one of us. And we all carry the pieces of our broken hearts and unfulfilled desires and Rajlokkhi encapsulates the whole fabric and I hope everyone likes it.

Srikanto was released on April 14 and is available on Hoichoi. Watch the trailer here —

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