She Dares

She dares - Paoli gears up for her first international film.

From being just another face on television to playing the seductive Madhabilata in Goutam Ghose’s Kalbela. From bagging a bold international project to launching her blog. Paoli Dam is on a roll. On the night of her blog, (paolidam.blogspot.com) launch, the dusky beauty spoke to t2 about Choli Ke Peeche, sharing screen space with her favourite actor Irrfan and more... From bagging an international project to launching your blog. Are you the most happening actress of Tollywood? Not really! I just felt like launching my blog. It’s common now. Everybody is doing it. My blogspot will have all information about my films and my releases. I will interact with my fans and will only post something personal if I think it would interest them. How does it feel to be part of an international film so early in your career? Great! I have always tried to do good work. I met Choli Ke Peeche director Italo Spinelli twice in Calcutta. He liked me and took my photographs too. Prior to that I had mailed them my pictures and that’s how the project happened. You are supposed to go topless for the film. Wouldn’t it be risky for a Tollywood star? No. See, I have read the script and I did not find anything objectionable. And it’s not that my character in the film roams around topless all the time! It’s not exactly what Raghu Rai’s painting titled Sensuous Baby is. That’s just a reference point. There is a breast-feeding scene. But I know that the scene will be shot aesthetically, as Blasco Giurardo of the Oscar winning Italian film Cinema Paradiso is the DoP of Choli Ke Peeche. And I have said earlier too that I don’t have inhibitions doing bold scenes. I had a lovemaking scene in Kalbela. I am also doing a couple of bold scenes in Sharan Dutta’s Thana Theke Ashchhi. And honestly it’s an international film and will be made for the international market. The Indian audience wouldn’t get to see the bold scenes! (Laughs). Both Nandana Sen and Shahana Goswami had rejected the role because of the topless scene... Yes, Shahana, I heard, had date problems. I don’t know about Nandana. I guess they wanted a fresh face. That’s why they have preferred me. How have your colleagues from the industry reacted to you being part of Choli Ke Peeche? Bumbada (Prosenjit), Jisshu (Sengupta), Goutamda (Ghose) and others have congratulated me. How excited are you to share screen space with Irrfan? Irrfan is a very intense and sensitive actor. I am looking forward to working with him. I loved him in Life in a... Metro and Dil Kabaddi. Most of my portions will be shot in Purulia. What are your forthcoming projects? In the pipeline is a film each with Bappaditya Bandopadhyay, Goutam Ghose, Anjan Das and others.

KUSHALI NAG