actor After appearing in Madly Bangalee(2009), a supporting role in Anjan Dutta’s film, Anasuya moved to Mumbai in 2013 and began experimenting with theatre. It was then that she began her career in production design. Anasuya, a production designer based in Mumbai, recently spoke with My Kolkata about her favorite projects. These include Saat Uchakkey (2016), directed by Sanjeev Sharma and starring Manoj Bajpayee and Anupam Kher, and Forget Me Not (2021), directed by Srijit Mukherji and starring Ali Fazal as part of the Netflix anthology Ray.
Intriguing and difficult obstacles dot Anasuya Sengupta’s path to being the first Indian performer to take home the Best Actress trophy from the Cannes Film Festival. Poile Sengupta is a famous author and dramatist, and Anasuya was born into an ethnically diverse household. Her father was an administrative official. The road to success was not easy for Anasuya, even in this encouraging setting.
At first, Anasuya found herself “claustrophobic and lost” in the Mumbai film industry, where she was trying to establish herself amidst all the expectations and pressures. She broke new ground with a role that highlighted her extraordinary talent; this led her to Cannes, where she became the first Indian performer to win the coveted Best Actress prize.Her career has been defined by adaptability and perseverance, showcasing her skill in overcoming obstacles in the field. Award-winning performances are only part of Anasuya’s tale; the real story is her struggle to find her place in a cruel industry.
Anasuya has also contributed her knowledge to the visual panorama of Masaba Masaba, a Netflix series.Even though Anasuya appeared to be doing fine, there was a point when she was disoriented and claustrophobic. A portion of Anasuya felt lost, claustrophobic, and nearly devoid of free expression throughout her years in Mumbai, even though she was connected to the creative scene in some way, she told My Kolkata. Because of this, she took a chance and moved to Goa with the help of her father. I had no idea how long it would take for my profession to take off or how financially sound the option was. But in the middle of all the mayhem, my dad took my hand and said, “What’s the worst that can happen?” That was the deciding factor.
It was here that she met Yashdeep, her soul mate. In an Instagram post, Yd wrote, “Soon after we started dating, somebody asked us, ‘how did you meet?’ We met at home.'” She went on to describe how she and her artist husband Anasuya first met. It was funny when we said it, but now we realize it perfectly captures who we are. Our conversation began on an internet forum. He was so impressed by my artwork that he requested a calendar I had made. His DJ credentials are DNB, I discovered after some snooping. In her words, “We hit it off right away” after discovering shared interests in both his music and her artwork. It wasn’t until much later that we learned that music and art are only hobbies for them. Nonetheless, the role of set designer and naval officer didn’t appear any less intriguing. We spent an entire day and night chatting before finally agreeing on a day for the calendar pick up. He rode his Enfield and I rode my scooter around Goa for the next week. With the same amount of enthusiasm, we celebrate birthdays, go to yoga courses, hit the dance floor, and visit beaches.
The story of how she landed the role of Renuka is as coincidental as her love story. A simple buddy request set everything in motion.My Kolkata spoke with Anasuya about how her Facebook friend Bojanov asked her to try out for a part in his Hindi film. “In June 2020, Konstantin wrote to me saying he was interested in seeing me test for a principal character in his upcoming feature, The Shamelss,” Anasuya recounted in an Instagram post. “Why?” was my initial reaction.It was love at first sight when Anasuya sent over her audition clip. The Bulgarian twin of Anasuya is someone I’m now trying to cast in my next project, Bojanov told My Kolkata.
Noir thriller The Shameless, starring Anasuya Sengupta and Omara Shetty, takes place in a world where the devdasi system has persisted for generations. The protagonist, Renuka (Anasuya), flees from a Delhi brothel following her murder of a police officer. Omara Shetty plays Devika, a teenager with whom she develops romantic feelings later on.
In two months and one night in Mumbai, the film was shot in Nepal, according to Anasuya’s Instagram post. Anasuya won Best Actress at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, however the film hasn’t been released in India yet.
According to Variety, Anasuya accepted the accolade and then gave it to the LGBT community and other oppressed groups throughout the globe. One need just be a really good person to fight for equality, she remarked, adding that one need not be gay or a colonized person to recognize the tragic nature of colonization.