For Puja fashion, I always depend on traditional looks: Rituparna Sengupta

The travel restriction in

Singapore

is keeping her away from her beloved children this Puja. Even the thought of not being able to spend the festival with

Rishona

and Ankan is making Rituparna Sengupta extremely upset and anxious. So, the actress has decided to have a working Puja instead and complete all her pending assignments – shootings, dubbings and so on. CT curated two Puja special looks for a photo shoot with the actress, who spoke about her childhood

Puja memories

and favourite festive styles in this quick chat. Excerpts:

You are wearing sari with a shirt, paired with sneakers. It’s very different from your usual style. Tell us about this look.
This look was especially curated for me for this photo shoot. Though I wasn’t sure about it initially, I felt like something new happened to me when I wore it. I am absolutely delighted that I put aside my inhibitions and went for it after some amount of convincing (laughs). After getting into the look, I felt confident enough to pull it off. Sneakers is the fun part here. With this bindi and the hairdo, it’s just perfect and stunning!

When it comes to Puja fashion, what has been your most dependable choice?
My most dependable Puja fashion choice has always been the traditional look. You’ll usually see me wearing a sari and goyna. It’s the safest bet. I don’t get enough opportunities to dress up traditionally. So, I utilise Puja time very well for that. It is simple to curate and culturally rich.

What are you planning to do this Puja?
My children are in Singapore and I can’t be with them this Puja, nor can they come here due to travel restrictions in Singapore. It is a difficult situation for me, but I am trying to cope with it. I am really going to miss them. Though my children haven’t been brought up in Kolkata, they have a very strong set of values and enjoy spending Puja in Kolkata. They keep asking me about the preparations being done here. I will be spending the initial days with my mum and mother in-law. The Ashtami anjali will happen in Mumbai as I will be there for a shoot.

Tell us a bit about how you used to spend Durga Puja before becoming a popular actress.
My childhood was blissful and I have very fond memories with beautiful people, including some of my dearest friends from my para. That was one of the best phases of my life. During Puja, I would roam around with my gang of para friends and gorge on street food – phuchka, rolls and what not! In the morning, we would offer anjali at the parar pandal and attend cultural events in the evenings. The father of one of my friends used to arrange a car for us to go to north Kolkata to see the best and the most elaborate Pujas there. Come rain or storm, pandal-hopping was mandatory and we friends used to always stick together.

And what about Puja fashion then?
I remember the year when suddenly pencil heels (stilettoes) came into vogue and I immediately got a pair for myself. You can imagine the pain I had to endure after wearing those heels on a pandal-hopping spree (laughs). But I remember bearing the pain with a big smile (laughs). Then came jeans. That year, we wore jeans and baggy shirts on all the five days of Puja. These are lovely memories. There were parental restrictions back then, so we used to make sure to come back on time from this small restaurant we would go to. Going to my cousin’s place also used to be a usual part of my Puja plans. All of us used to take part in a cooperative Puja.

Recently, you performed as

Durga

in a production by dancer Avirup Sengupta. That piece talks about social issues – the plight of acid victims and transgender community members. Tell us about that experience.

In today’s day and world, we all need to stand up for important social causes, especially pertaining to women and children. In this particular piece, the music composed by

Deepabali Rudra

is quite engaging. Avirup’s dance school does noble things like working with special children and their parents. When he told me that he wants to do something with acid victims and transgender communities, I immediately said yes. I was really happy to present this programme. Performing as Durga is always symbolic. Richa Sharma and Devlina Kumar were part of the performance too. The piece tries to highlight
the power of a woman, her strength and agility.