¡®Sharmila Tagore is choosy about scripts, but wanted to work with me¡¯: Rituparna Sengupta on emotional bonds and rediscovery in Puratawn
Rituparna Sengupta opens up about working alongside Sharmila Tagore in Puratawn, a film that explores the delicate emotions of a mother-daughter bond. In a candid chat with Indiatimes, she reflects on grief, nostalgia, and why this film hit home.
Some films speak in whispers, with silences that are louder than words. Puratawn, directed by Suman Ghosh, is one such movie that takes you through a cinematic journey of a mother and daughter. Anchored by Sharmila Tagore's return to Bengali cinema, the film is all about the fragility of memory, the weight of the past, and the quiet complexities of familial love.
Sharmila Tagore¡¯s last movie in Tollywood was Antaheen directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury back in 2009. Puratawn marks her return to the industry after 16 years of hiatus. Indiatimes caught up with the lead actress of Puratawn for a quick chat ¡ª and here¡¯s what she had to say.
¡®Puratawn is about a beautifully complicated relationship¡¯
Talking about the film¡¯s core, Rituparna Sengupta said,
¡°Puratawn is all about the relationship between the mother and the daughter, and so it could be a very beautiful conflict of love and passion.¡±
The story revolves around a daughter returning home to celebrate her mother¡¯s 80th birthday, only to find herself caught in the emotional tangle of memories and reconnection¡ªwith her mother and her estranged husband. ¡°They kind of rediscover life in many ways,¡± said Rituparna, calling the storyline ¡°complicated at the same time beautifully draped¡± and rich with emotion.
Rituparna Sengupta at the screening of Puratawn | Credit: Facebook
Rituparna Sengupta has been a strong name in Bengali cinema for decades. She won the National Film Award for Dahan and went on to bag two Filmfare Awards East, along with several Bengal Film Journalists¡¯ Association and Kalakar Awards. Her ability to portray complex characters with ease has made her one of the most respected actors in the industry.
Apart from her work in Bengali films, she was also seen in popular Bollywood movies like: Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh, Life Express, Mittal v/s Mittal and more.
Not just a role ¡ª it was personal
For Rituparna, the experience of portraying this mother-daughter bond was deeply personal.
¡°This movie is closer to my heart because I just lost my mother four months back¡ So that pain and everything persists. And when you do a mother-daughter story, it becomes more you know how it feels.¡± Sengupta told Indiatimes.
The role, in some ways, became a channel for her own emotional processing. The fictional journey paralleled a real loss, adding a depth to her performance that only personal experience can bring.
Sharmila Tagore's return made it special
Working with Sharmila Tagore was another highlight of the film for Rituparna.
Sharmila Tagore in Puratawn
¡°She is quite picky about films she works on, but she really wanted to do a film with a good script and with me. So that was my kind of, you know, okay, like a really prized position for me.¡± Sengupta told Indiatimes.
In the past, Puratawn had won the Best Feature Film award at the Indian Film Festival of Houston. Sharmila Tagore received the Best actress honour at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival besides the movie bagging the Best Film award.
The chemistry between the two actresses, despite the differences in their generations and approaches, is one of the film¡¯s quiet strengths. Rituparna admitted that acting alongside a legend like Sharmila Tagore brought a unique kind of pressure ¡ª but also immense joy.
Nancy Jaiswal is a journalist who started her career in reporting and has covered both hard and soft news. From serious city news developments to lighthearted lifestyle pieces, she has written on almost everything hapenning in India (except maybe alien invasions¡ªyet!). For her, writing isn¡¯t just work; it¡¯s a passion, an obsession, and sometimes the reason she forgets to reply to texts.
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