IN HER OWN TIME

Anasuya Sengupta has finally arrived! The actor talks to Bazaar India about portraying Renuka on screen, queer activism, and why she does not strategise too much.

- JISHNU BANDYOPADHYAY

There is something about Anasuya Sengupta—the actor who made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes this year for her role in The Shameless, directed by Konstantin Bojanov. When I meet her for the first time, she is in an embellished Chanel swimsuit, which blends against the cloudy Mumbai sky like a chameleon. It’s 7 AM. Juhu Beach is still a little chilly from the downpour last night. Bikramjit Bose loads a fresh roll of film into his camera, and calls her by a name that tells you they’ve known each other since their 20s. She smiles an all-knowing smile between shots, as the waves crash against her thighs. A smile that knows something that you haven’t discovered yet. Sengupta moved away from her favourite city years ago, but her feet hold onto the ground with an undebatable familiarity. The water helps the sand pile up on her toes. They’ve been waiting for her, and she has finally arrived.