Mamata Shankar on Projapoti: Mrigayaa was my first film, so this time when I start shooting with Mithun, I’ll revisit my old days

Mamata Shankar and Mithun Chakraborty will be seen together in Avijit Sen’s Projapoti 46 years after they paired up in Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa in 1976. Produced and co-written by Atanu Raychaudhuri, the film is billed as a father-son story in which Dev will play Mithun’s son. Meanwhile, Koneenica Banerjee and Ambarish Bhattacharya will be seen as the daughter and son-in-law of Mithun. 

Mamata Shankar talked about her new venture with Mithun in an interview with Calcutta Times. The actress said that her mother danseuse Amala Shankar (who passed away on July 24, 2020) would have been very happy about her new project. She further added that she is looking forward to working opposite Mithun. “Mrigayaa was my first film, so this time when I start shooting with Mithun, I’ll revisit my old days,” she said in the interview. The actress also mentioned that she is pretty nervous too. She added that even today, the first shot of a film comes across as the first shot ever to her and that makes her nervous.

Meanwhile, Mamata Shankar is also gearing up to celebrate her mother’s 103rd birthday. She will be performing on stage after 2019. After Amala Shankar passed away in 2020, Mamata Shankar and her family could not pay a tribute through performance because of the pandemic. Now, the troupe is gearing up to host an elaborate show. The piece that Mamata Shankar will be performing is a choreography by Amala Shankar and the music is composed by Annada Shankar – Mamata Shankar’s brother.    

Mamata Shankar was 10 when she started her dance training from her mother. Talking about her childhood, she said that she grew up in a strict family and was not overtly pampered. She mentioned that she worked extra hard to earn appreciation from her parents, Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar. 

Mamata Shankar debuted on-screen with Mrinal Sen’s Mrigaya. She is one of Ray's actors. Her performance in Agantuk fetched her National Film Award – Special Jury Award for the Feature Film in 1992. She will also be seen in Kaushik Ganguly’s Palaan, which is a tribute to Mrinal Sen on his centenary.