Ridiculous to compare grandma and me: Raima Sen

Actress Raima Sen, who is known to prefer roles with a difference, says it is silly to compare her with her grandmother, the legendary Suchitra Sen. "It is ridiculous that people compare my grandmother and me. There is no need to do that. For instance, there is no comparison between Konkona SenSharma and (her mother) Aparna Sen," Raima told IANS in an interview.

"Also there are comparisons drawn between my sister (Riya) and me. This is done only by the media. No one in the film industry compares us. And we both are getting our share of work," added Raima whose "The Bong Connection" was released last week.

The actress, whose skills shone in "Godmother", "Chokher Bali" and "Parineeta", also rebuffs rumours that her parents, especially her mother Moon Moon Sen, interfere in her selection of projects.

"My mom and dad have nothing to do with the projects I plan to take up. It is completely my decision. They only come to watch the premieres of my films. Also, I deliberately do not discuss films with my granny, as it is a completely personal relationship that we share."

Raima has received critical acclaim for her performances but failed to bag lead roles in mainstream Hindi films.

"Good director, producer and script are what I see while picking up any project. The main lead is not a priority for me. After 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd' you can't say that I am not doing commercial films. I think it is just a matter of time. Slowly things are getting better.

"Also, the Hindi film industry is not heroine-oriented. You have to be really careful. I don't want to end up doing solo films, which are not watched by people."

Talking about "The Bong Connection", she said: "The film should set a trend for Bengali cinema, which is changing with the taste of people. Today more independent cinema is coming up in the industry."

Directed by Anjan Dutt, the film is about two young men who are ethnically similar yet radically different in their views on life.

Raima's forthcoming projects include Navdeep Singh's "Manorama Six Feet Under", a thriller where she stars with Abhay Deol and Gul Panag. It is slated for a Sep 7 release.

She will also appear in Aparna Sen's "Japanese Wife", Rituparno Ghosh's "Khela", Venod Mitra's "Meridian", Mira Nair's film on AIDS and Ruchi Narayan's next movie.
By Shweta Thakur

Indo-Asian News Service