Anuradha Mukherjee hardly needs an introduction when it comes to the Bengali entertainment industry. The ‘Niharika’ fame actress is one of the most versatile faces in the industry now her body of work is a testament to it. From films to web series, to television – Anuradha navigates like water. The actress moves effortlessly through various mediums and treats the audience with her splendid performance. She is currently seen playing the character of Khowai in a popular Bengali TV show ‘Sohag Chand’, where her character finds the perfect partner in a plus-size man, Sayan. During the celebration of 500 episodes completion of ‘Sohag Chand’, ETimes TV caught up with Anuradha.
Khowai, the character Anuradha is playing in ‘Sohag Chand’ is a character dear to her heart and it shows when she talks about it. Anuradha says, “Khowai is a divorcee with a daughter. Her first husband was Arna. It was a love marriage but then it became a case of domestic violence. So, she got divorced.” As per the current track of ‘Sohag Chand’, Khowai has found companionship in Sayan. Anuradha says, “Initially Khowai and Sayan did not want to get married to each other although the family kept on coaxing. Eventually they become good friends and now they don’t oppose the idea of marriage. It’s almost like an arranged marriage scenario that’s culminating in love. More than anything, Sayan loves my daughter very much. He is extremely fond of Kopai. As per the story of the show, Kopai calls him dad even before our marriage!”
In ‘Sohag Chand’, Sayan, played by Joyprakash Pal, is a character who has been humiliated all his life because of his body weight and looks. But that has not turned Sayan into a bitter person. According to Joyprakash, “Sayan has been in love with Sohag before. He wanted to get married to Sohag. He could not because he could not arrange the dowry for the marriage. But in time, Sayan stands up for himself and realizes that his affection for Sohag has culminated out of stubbornness. But with Khowai, Sayan finds friendship. Sayan also wants to be the father to Kopai, whom he never had. That makes Sayan more humane and sensible.”
Despite the progression in the 21
st century, society still suffers from the notion of conventional beauty standards and body shaming is still a glaring truth in most parts of society. Joyprakash opens up about it and says, “Sayan has grown up being humiliated by his own family members. He never really fell in love or knew what being in love meant. With Khowai, he has found friendship and as they say – friendship is the first step towards love. But Sayan still wonders why Khowai has agreed to get married to him! Because growing up with body image issues and putting up with the humiliation becomes a habit after a certain point. People don’t always say it on your face. But you understand the subtle differences in treatments everywhere – be it at home, or in public transports.”
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