In a recent interview, veteran actor Mamata Shankar shared her experiences working with acclaimed filmmaker Mrinal Sen, particularly recalling an incident during the shooting of the Telugu film ‘Oka Oori Katha’ (The Outsiders). Shankar, the niece of the legendary Pt Ravi Shankar, expressed that while Sen was caring and understanding, he was also a hard taskmaster.
Having collaborated with Sen on multiple projects, including ‘Mrigaya’ (The Royal Hunt) in 1976, ‘Oka Oori Katha’ in 1977, and ‘Ek Din Pratidin’ (And Quiet Rolls the Dawn) in 1979, Shankar fondly remembered the director. She recounted a specific scene from ‘Oka Oori Katha’ where Sen became upset as her face repeatedly went out of frame due to the overbearing smell of garlic from her male co-actor. Despite the challenges, Shankar praised Sen’s caring nature and dedication to achieving the perfect shot.
‘Oka Oori Katha’ featured a cast that included Pradeep Kumar, G V Narayana Rao, G Narayana Rao, M V Vasudeva Rao, Krishna A R Chintapally Bhadra Reddy, among others.
Shankar, whose upcoming film ‘Bijoyer Pare’ is set for release, mentioned the lack of offers for suitable roles in Bengali OTT platforms. Reflecting on her longstanding friendship with Mithun Chakraborty, her co-actor from ‘Mrigaya,’ Shankar highlighted his positive qualities as a person and actor. She expressed hope for future collaborations with him.
The interview also touched upon Shankar’s rapport with Anjan Dutt, her co-actor in ‘Ek Din Pratidin’ and ‘Kharij,’ and Dipankar Dey, with whom she worked on several films, including Satyajit Ray’s ‘Agantuk’ (The Stranger), ‘Shakha Proshakha’ (The Branches of the Tree), and ‘Ganashatru’ (An Enemy of the People).
Shankar shared her experience working on ‘Palan,’ a sequel to Sen’s Cannes jury award-winning film ‘Kharij.’ She expressed happiness about the positive audience response and mentioned the film’s success in merging past characters and revisiting the days when ‘Kharij’ was shot.
In closing, Shankar expressed her commitment to delivering her best performances when working with accomplished actors like Mithun Chakraborty, Anjan Dutt, and Dipankar Dey.
