Girl from Sonagachhi makes her debut in Freida Pinto film

Kolkata: In the dingy bylane of Sonagachhi, Hollywood star Freida Pinto or Demi Moore’s name don’t ring a bell. They don’t at least for Keya Sheikh who found herself prostituted in the red light district more than a decade back. Two years ago, Keya bagged a ticket to Hollywood when she acted in 'Life of Pi' producer David Womark’s 'Love, Sonia' that also had Freida and Moore in the cast.As preparations begin for the world premiere of her film at the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, Keya is counting her days to step into to the world of Moore and more.
But the only hitch for Keya is that she still doesn’t have a passport. “However, I am sure I will manage to get that done too. When Ruchira Gupta of Aapne Aap is there beside me, I know I will be able to fulfil my American dream too,” she smiles and says. But before that, she is happy reliving her one-month-long fairy tale innings of shooting for Tabrez Noorani’s film that also has Freida Pinto and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. The film narrates the story of Sonia (Mrunal Thakur), a young girl whose life irrevocably changes when she is entrapped into the vicious global sex trade network. Keya literally has goosebumps when she talks about taking her first flight to Mumbai. “I was in Asansol for an assignment when I got the offer. I left everything and rushed back to Kolkata. Before that I had never been on an aircraft,” she confesses. Besides the excitement of making her film debut, she was also thrilled to be flying high in the clouds.
Once in Mumbai, it was another dream-come-true moment for her. “I was staying at a five-star hotel that overlooked the Juhu beach. I would wake up in the morning and breakfast would be served to me. Toast, omelette, fruits – you name it and it was there. I could take a stroll to the Juhu beach. I felt like a celebrity,” she says.
What helped her morale was that no one judged her for her profession. “They treated me as any other normal human being. They gave me respect. Every day, I would get Rs 300 as pocket money too,” she recalls.
Shooting at the studio was fun, she says. “There are scenes where a client comes and the ‘malkin’ gets him to take a look at the girls and choose who he wants. It is exactly the same that happens in Sonagachhi. I was asked to behave and enact those scenes in front of the camera. Rajkumar Rao played the client while Richa Chhada was the malkin on screen. Sometimes, the heroine too would take tips from me,” she remembers.
Once shooting was over, Keya had a car to herself for exploring Mumbai. “My son wasn’t with me. That was my only regret. Otherwise, I would be happy working there forever. I didn’t even need to stay in such a good hotel,” she says.

The lifestyle comfort and the joy of living a life free from abuse of her clients worked wonders. “Even my skin had started to glow,” she recalls. Another of her colleagues in Sonagachhi – Payel Debi who also acted in the same film – was equally pleased. “In Mumbai, Payel would turn on the AC and relax. All her prickly heat rashes had disappeared. The moment we returned to Kolkata, the rashes resurfaced,” she says.
Once back in Sonagachhi, life wasn’t easy. “It was initially quite difficult for me to adjust. All my close friends know about my Bollywood film,” she says. However, she hasn’t shared any of this with her clients. Her personal achievements, she insists, are best left a secret from them.