Jun 01, 2026 3:37pm IST
‘Phool Pishi O Edward’ Actor Raima Sen on Learning From Grandmother Suchitra Sen’s Movies (EXCLUSIVE)
Years after movies like “Chokher Bali” (2003) and “Noukadubi” (2011), Raima Sen is back in the traditional Bengali zamindari set-up with Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s latest film, “Phool Pishi O Edward.” Unlike the films mentioned above, which were based on Rabindranath Tagore’s novels, this one is an original story.
Raima Sen shares with Variety India that “Phool Pishi O Edward” is in a totally different genre and centers around the patriarchal society of Bengal. She says, “It is a murder mystery with an element of comedy.” The film, which is now running in theaters, is a whodunit around organ donation set against the backdrop of a feudal society. Raima confesses that, like most Bengalis, she too loves her detective novels. “There are the Eken Babu stories and, of course, Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda movies. My top two picks in detective movies are Satyajit Ray’s Feluda films, ‘Sonar Kella,’ and ‘Joi Baba Felunath.’
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The actress is also gearing up for the release of Parambrata Chattopadhyay’s directorial “Abar Hawa Bodol” on June 12, 2026. Talking about the Parambrata Chattopadhyay directorial, which is a sequel to the 2013 comedy "Hawa Bodol", she says, “It is a satirical comedy. We are back after more than ten years. The audience can expect a laugh riot.”
The actor, who is in her 27th year in Indian cinema, has built an enviable repertoire of movies in the West Bengal industry. Her filmography includes movies with top names like Late Rituparno Ghosh, Anjan Dutt, Kaushik Ganguly, Aparna Sen, Srijit Mukherji, and now, Shiboprosad Mukherjee. Reflecting on this, Raima elaborates, “Yes, Bengali movies have offered me a lot more. I guess you have to be more in the circle to get good roles in Bollywood. I have never spent a long time there as I shuttled between Kolkata and Mumbai. I would also like to add that Bengali films have always had strong characters for women. It is part of our cinematic tradition.”
Listing down her most creatively satisfying Bengali films so far, she says, “They would be ‘Chokher Bali,’ ‘Bastu Shaap,’ ‘Anuranan,’ ‘Noukodubi,’ and ‘Nirbashito,’ to name a few.” Being the granddaughter of the legendary Suchitra Sen, hailed as the greatest actress of West Bengal, has come with its share of scrutiny and comparison. Her mother, Moon Moon Sen, is also an actress. On the nepotism debate, Raima feels the debate always existed, but social media has amplified it a lot more. “The time I entered films, it was a lot easier than it is now, “ she opines.
The actress feels that all her grandmother’s films are a textbook in acting. She says with pride, “I love all my grandmother’s films. My favorites are ‘Aandhi’ (1975), ‘Bombai Ka Babu’ (1960), ‘Devdas’ (1955), ‘Saptapadi’ (1961), ‘Deep Jweley Jai’ (1959), ‘Mamta’ (1961), ‘Harano Sur’ (1957), and more. The list is endless. I learn from every film of hers because she brings a different quality to her characters in every movie.”
Raima believes the way forward for the Bengali film industry is to give directors bigger budgets and platforms to showcase their films. “I feel we also need to do some out-of-the-box films to capture people’s attention,” she signs off.
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