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Raima’s Sen-sational film

26/ 2/2007

Granddaughter of legendary actress Sichitra Sen, Raima hopes to get more comic roles following her next flick, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd.

The film, which follows six couples on a four-day honeymoon package tour to Goa, sees Raima playing a "la-di-lah" daring newly wed whose husband tries to tame her wild ways.

Raima, who has proved her acting prowess with films including Godmother, Daman, Choker Bali and Parineeta said: "I have great expectations from the film - it is so whacky it has to work.

"I play Mini, this newly married Bengali girl. I identify completely with my character as I am also a Bengali. Like her I only appear to be docile but in reality, I am pretty dominating, and very adventurous too!

"So watch out for me para-sailing in a saree, doing fight sequences, karate and boxing.

"It's all so hilarious, it's a sensation and fun to watch.

"Personally, I hope to get more offers for comic roles!"

Rumours have also been flying recently when Raima was to fancy her co-star Kay Kay who plays her on-screen husband.
An Indian magazine reported that she wished Kay Kay was single.

Said Raima: "The journalist just concocted that sentence to sensationalise his story. Kay Kay intimidates everyone with his imposing personality and acting prowess, and I find that very hot. In the interview I had just said that I find Kay Kay hot, nothing more.

"He's a great actor. Kay Kay appears more Bengali than I do in the film!

"In this dance sequence to the song 'Sajnaji Vaari Vaari' his character is suppose to have mistakenly taken ecstacy. Kay Kay had to do some movements which all the other characters, including myself, had to copy.

"Though Kay Kay is not a dancer he got so involved that without choreographer's instructions he started doing these funny movements on his own, and we all started copying him. When you watch the song, Sajnaji Vaari Vaari, you think it is choreographed but it is not really!"

When director Reema Kagti approached Raima for the film, she thought the whole concept was interesting and took up the offer.
"I read the entire script and even though I found the idea of going on a package tour for a honeymoon with unknown people bizarre, the entire concept was extremely hilarious and interesting," she said.

"Once we started shooting the film with all the travelling in a bus and sharing our experiences, I thought it was not such a bad idea after all.

"I think Reema Kagti has come up with an impeccable cast. Amisha Patel for example plays this young woman who loves everything pink and feminine, which is so like her in real life too!

"Then there's Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani who play this very sporting elderly couple, Abhay Deol and Minissha Lamba are a funny yet endearing Parsi couple…..everyone is so appropriate and right for their roles.

"Initially I thought there was a lot of people in this film, but seeing Reema's confidence I knew she would not give anyone a chance to complain! She made sure everyone got equal footage."

Since all the couples are on a honeymoon will we see many intimate moments between them?

"Of course, there are intimate moments between every couple, but none of them are vulgar or titillating.

"Either they are tender, like the one between Kay Kay and me, or they are comic like those between Abhay Deol and Minissha Lamba."

After completing Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Raima, who is not considering marriage for at least another two years, said she will in fact give a honeymoon package tour a try.

"But the destination would most probably be Venice or Jo'burg!"

Raima, whose actress mother Moon Moon Sen was a star in the 60s and whose sister Riya is also a Bollywood babe, has worked hard to get herself noticed by playing small but powerful roles on ground-breaking films.

Her debut was in the film Godmother, which was a critically acclaimed success, but her minor role may have been overlooked in favour of the protagonist, played by Shabana Azmi.

She then starred in the film Daman playing Raveena Tandon's daughter, where her small performance was appreciated but her breakthrough role came when she starred in the Rituparno Ghosh's film Chokher Bali.

She won much praise for her role as the simple, submissive Ashalata.

After a few more average movies she had a critically acclaimed hit in 2005 with Parineeta and is now looking forward to more releases this year.

Said Raima: "I am waiting for the release of Eklavya in which I play the part of Nandani, a young woman with the mind of a 10-year-old. Then there is Manorma, Khela, The Bong Connection (about Bengali NRIs), and Meridian opposite Arjun Rampal.

"It's definitely going to be a busy year."

HONEYMOON TRAVELS... is out now!

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