After a quieter stretch in Bengali cinema, Raima Sen is returning to the big screen with The Eken: Kerala-e Kurukshetra. But the actress says her absence was never about stepping away from acting. She was simply waiting for roles that could offer her something new.
Speaking to West Bengal-based publication Ei Samay, Raima said she had not found enough recent offers that genuinely interested her. For her, taking on a film only for the sake of staying visible has little appeal. She wants characters and stories that allow her to explore unfamiliar territory.
The actress is now keen to experiment with roles beyond the characters audiences have associated with her over the years. She is interested in comedy, gangster roles and even fictional police characters. Most importantly, she wants parts that challenge her and help her grow as a performer.
Raima said her career has gone through phases when she did not work for long periods. She does not simply regard those stretches as gaps. Instead, she uses the time to learn and develop as an actor.
That learning continues away from the camera. In her recent interview with Ei Samay, Raima said she regularly attends acting workshops and reads extensively, particularly autobiographies by acclaimed actors. She is currently reading the autobiography of British actor Anthony Hopkins.
For Raima, continuous learning has become increasingly important as cinema changes. Acting styles have evolved, audiences have changed and filmmakers now tell stories differently. She believes watching good films, reading and attending workshops help actors stay connected with that changing landscape.
Her next Bengali release brings her into the popular Eken Babu franchise. The Eken: Kerala-e-Kurukshetra features Raima alongside Anirban Chakrabarti, Suhotra Mukhopadhyay, Somak Ghosh and others. The film is directed by Joydeep Mukherjee and takes the fictional detective Eken Babu to Kerala for a new mystery.
The film marks Raima’s return to the franchise, while also giving her another opportunity to explore a different character. The actress has made it clear that novelty remains central to her choice of work.
Raima has also spoken frankly about her personal life. She remains single and does not believe marriage should happen simply because society expects it or because someone reaches a particular age. She has said she has not yet found a person with whom she genuinely wants to spend the rest of her life.
Her views on Bengali cinema are equally candid. Raima believes the industry once enjoyed a strong international reputation, with Bengali films and filmmakers earning recognition beyond the region. She feels the industry is now going through a difficult phase.
When she travels abroad for work, she said people sometimes ask what happened to Bengali cinema. Raima admitted that she does not always have an answer.
Still, she hopes the industry can recover the pride and recognition it once enjoyed. Her wish is simple: to see better Bengali films being made and the industry regain its earlier standing.
For Raima, then, the return is not about filling her calendar with projects. It is about finding work that gives her something to discover.
After years of choosing quality and experimentation over visibility, The Eken: Kerala-e-Kurukshetra offers audiences a chance to see where that approach takes her next.
