Rituparna Sengupta: Just like Shakti, every woman has fierce and compassionate sides to her – Times of India

From pandal hopping to pet pujo, Rituparna Sengupta has her Durga Puja plan sorted. While taking a stroll in Delhi’s Bengali Market, the actress got candid on why the festivities bring out her inner child and what the Pujo means to her.

What are some of your fondest Durga Puja memories?
The things I associate with Pujo the most have to be the joy little things sparked in us as kids. The countdown, the Pujo frenzy, the gloomy feel after
pratima bisharjan (idol immersion), everything has left its indelible mark, and each Pujo the child in me comes alive, wanting to do the things I’d do back in the day. Nothing could dampen my spirits – not even the shoebite I’d get from wearing pencil heels while pandal hopping with friends!

Did things change when you entered the showbiz?

When I entered showbiz, we used to have big movie releases every Pujo. I was still very young. There was this one time when I got an offer to work with Mithun Chakraborty. The shoot was in Ooty, and the dates were clashing with Durga Pujo. I wanted to turn it down, as I didn’t want to be away from home during those four days. I remember Mithun da called me and said, “Ritu,
Pujo toh prottek bochhor ashbe (Pujo will come every year), but work is also worship.” I guess that was one lesson learnt!

Festivities took place on a muted scale in the past two years. Was there anything that you missed the most about Durga Puja in these two years?

A part of my life is spent in Singapore as my husband lives there. During the lockdown, we were stuck in Singapore. There was no
sharat er akash (autumn sky), no Pujo feel, no
dhaak (drum). For the first time in many years, I didn’t go to the pandal to do the
anjali on Ashtami or relish the bhog. The spirits were low, and there was a general sense of loss and grief all around. But things look brighter this year, and I want to make the most of it.

So what’s on your Durga Puja to-do list this year?
From pandal hopping to pet pujo, I want to make up for all the festive fun I missed out on in the last two years. And, of course, spend time with my loved ones. My husband will be in Kolkata for his birthday this Pujo. So there will be family get-togethers, eating out, community lunches, loads of adda.

From Utsab to Mahishasur Marddini, so many of your movies have Durga Puja as the backdrop. Is it the easy connect that draws you to these plots or the conflict such a premise has to offer?

It is such a powerful theme, isn’t it? In most of these movies, the festival becomes one of the central characters, with everything revolving around it. Be it the dysfunctional family shown in Utsab or society’s hypocrisy exposed in Mahishasur Marddini, these Pujo-centric movies have given me the scope to explore conflicting human emotions.

Do you identify with the fierce avatar of Shakti more or her benevolent side?

I think just like Shakti, every woman has a fierce and compassionate side to her. I could be fierce when it comes to taking a stand on something that I strongly believe in, while, with my kids, I’m an indulgent mother.

Did you ever get a chance to visit any Durga Puja pandals in Delhi?
Oh, yes! A number of times. I have seen the Pujo in CR Park and had even performed in one of the cultural events there a few years ago. Delhi doesn’t feel alien to me as I have loads of relatives in the city. And I love exploring the city whenever I’m here.

– Srinwanti Das