Anurag Basu is patient & funny: Darshana Banik

In one of the poignant scenes from ‘Metro…In Dino’, actress Darshana Banik, who plays the widowed daughter-in-law of Anupam Kher, refuses to leave the house despite facing constant insults. The pain in her eyes, the tears she tries to hold back, these subtle emotions speak volumes. Kher’s character urges her to reclaim her life and not stay bound by obligations. Though her screen time may be brief, Darshana takes the opportunity to shine in this Bollywood ensemble film featuring stars like Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripathi.

After ‘Metro…In Dino’, helmed by Anurag Basu, she’s gearing up for another major Bollywood release, Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Viraat’. Yet, despite her foray into the Hindi film industry, Darshana, who will soon be seen in a Bengali film opposite Bonny Sengupta, has no plans of shifting base from Kolkata. The actress, who made her debut with the Bengali film ‘Aschhe Abar Shabor’ in 2018, speaks to ‘Millennium Post’ on films and more:

How did ‘Metro…In Dino’ come your way?

I was shooting in Bhopal when a casting director informed me that Anurag Basu had been looking for me. Soon after, I got a call from his wife, Tani Basu. I gave a screen test and then waited for a month. When I finally got the call that I was locked in, I was overjoyed, though equally nervous, because I’d be working opposite Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher. I’ve been a huge fan of Anurag Basu’s films. In fact, I remember skipping ‘Spiderman’ as a kid to secretly watch ‘Life in a... Metro’ with my friends.

How was it working with Anurag Basu?

He is incredibly patient, funny and sincere. He encourages improvisation on set, which is both thrilling and challenging. You have to be fully alert all the time.

You also have a Bollywood film with Vikram Bhatt coming up.

Yes. He’s one of the most fascinating people I’ve worked with. Like Anurag da, he is a perfectionist and loves improvisation.

Now that you’re doing Bollywood films, do you plan to shift base?

Not at all. I enjoy working across different industries, but I won’t shift because my family and friends are in Kolkata. As long as I have energy, I’ll keep travelling.