Mother complex

Swastika Mukherjee made waves recently with her portrayal of a strict mother in Qala. Tanisha Bhattacharya interviews the maverick actress.

- Tanisha Bhattacharya

Swastika Mukherjee is the late actor Santu Mukhopadhyay's daughter, who has worked both in Bengali cinema and theatre. Growing up in a household of actors, her uncle Sumanta Mukherjee is an actor as well, it's no wonder that Swastika was attracted to the arc lights from a young age. She made her debut in Tollywood with Hemanter Pakhi in 2001. She then went on to deliver several performances over the years in acclaimed films like Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012), Ami Aar Amar Girlfriends (2013), Jaatishwar (2014), Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015), and Shah Jahan Regency (2019) to name a few, leaving us impressed with her acting chops with each project. The actress was seen as a dominating mother in the recent OTT release Qala (2022), directed by Anvita Dutt.

On a warm Monday afternoon, as we sit to chat about her latest success, Swastika takes a moment or two to collect herself before expressing her gratitude. "We thought that maybe women and the female audience were going to connect with it more, but the way it has connected with even the male audience. The way men have been reacting to it, is heartwarming. I guess it's also because a lot of conversation started about mental health during the lockdown. This film speaks volumes about it. I feel every kind of audience could connect with the film based on it being very humane. The film talks about validation and emotions that are raw and real. We all seek validation from our loved ones," she explains.