Koneenica Banerjee: I love my wrinkles and enjoy the roles I get

Koneenica Banerjee forayed into the OTT space with Saurav Chakrabarti’s political thriller, Rajneeti, on Hoichoi. She plays Mallika Banerjee – the wife of a politician Rathin Banerjee. The show which also features Kaushik Ganguly, Ditipriya Roy, Arjun Chakrabarty, and others was dropped on Hoichoi on May 26. In a chat with Ottplay, Koneenica talked about her offer and her journey. 

Koneenica was working in full swing in a mega serial Aye Tobe Sohochori when her life took a turn. She went through critical spine surgery in Chennai. She momentarily lost her voice after the surgery when she got the offer to play the character of Mallika. “Saurav and I know each other for a long time. We worked in a telefilm, Kader Kuler Bou. We became friends. Earlier, Saurav and Ishita offered me roles in their series but I was neck-deep busy with my mega serials. This time I told them no matter what I will be working with you. I lost my voice briefly after my surgery and I got this offer even before I got back my voice. I was sure about this character. I loved it the moment I read it,” she said. 

During the script reading season, Saurav asked Koneenica to avoid reading the end. “However, I read the whole story. Portraying Mallika was fun. There are shades in the character. I did not try to label Mallika. Rather, I felt Mallika is right in her head. She is the heroine of her life. I just behaved the way Mallika would behave justifiably. Now the character is getting a lot of appreciation. I am happy,” said the actress. 

Also read: Rajneeti review: Ditipriya Roy, Kaushik Ganguly, and Koneenica Banerjee present a refreshing and riveting thriller 

What took her so long to get a real meaty role? “I don’t know. I take it positively. I feel if I am underutilised then I have scopes to be utilised. I am not overexposed. That’s a good thing. So many actors and actresses around are stagnant by now. I feel proud that I could afford to take a gap and then came back in business,” she said. Koneenica has no qualms about her age. She said, “I love my wrinkles. I am enjoying the journey of aging. I am sure I will get meaty roles that are suitable for my age. The economy we live in does not allow us to choose our characters. Our producers choose actors. I don’t get bothered about what I missed. I used to be bothered when I was young. Not anymore! I feel we all should have walked towards progression. Many of us did not. I am happy that Saurav and Ishita did.”

Right now, Koneenica is busy with a medical emergency and juggling between work and home. She will be seen in Ayan Chakraborty’s Nikhonj with Tota Roy Chowdhury and Swastika Mukherjee.