During a round table interview with Kajol, The Free Press Journal asked the actress which kind of horror films she liked watching when growing up in the 80s. “I was not fond of horror films ever. My sister would love to watch horror films though, she wanted to watch all of them. And I would tell her, you don’t need horror films, you want to get scared, tell me, I’ll do it for free! But she never took me up on that offer,” she said, laughing.
She was at her chirpy best when interacting about her horror movie Maa, in which a mother transforms into the goddess Kali to battle a demon's curse. Directed by Vishal Furia, the film is a fresh chapter in the world of Shaitaan, the 2024 horror film which starred Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan. “The story on which the film is based is something which I have narrated to my children several times, of Kali Maa and Raktabeej. When the film’s story was told to me, I found the concept very cool. The basic thought behind every mother is: will I be able to protect my child or not? I love the tagline of the film: Evil Vs Faith. The evil entity in the film confronts the mother and asks her, ‘You will stand up against me?’ And that’s the crux of the film, to somehow find that inner strength amongst us to fight against insurmountable odds. Normally, good horror films have a story, horror, and good music. This film has all these, and emotion too. That is the strength of our film — that every moment you feel that you want to stand with the protagonist and fight,” she said.
On black magic: “If you believe in light, then you have to believe in the dark. Sometimes you see some things around and feel, this can’t be right.”
I love Kolkata: “I love Kolkata. Whenever I have gone there, everybody has been so nice to me. Kolkata food is great — we shot in Flury’s also and were staying in Sonar Bangla. Loved the food there.”
Spooked: “We were shooting at night in a huge haveli a few hours away from Kolkata. It was a ruin, and in one window there was a mundi — and we hadn’t put it there! And then beside me used to be sitting this young girl in a chudail getup saying, ‘Aunty, I love orange juice!’”
Indian mythology: “I love mythology, whether it is Indian mythology, or the Vikings or Greek mythology, any kind. I would love to be part of any mythological film being made. And if given a choice, would want to play Krishna. Or Ravan. If i ever get a chance to meet any characters in real life, it would be these two.”
Insecurities: “I think everyone has insecurities, I didn’t pay much attention to mine. I just thought that if I worked really hard and I worked well then those insecurities would not make a difference on screen.”
