June Maliah is one of the prettiest and most popular actresses hailing from the Bengali entertainment industry. Some of her best works include Teen Yaari Katha, Shikar, Nil Nirjane, Ebar Shabor, Har Har Byomkesh, The Bong Connection 7 many more. IWMBuzz exclusively spoke to June on her journey, her journey, favorite movies, lockdown time, striking differences between Tollywood and Bollywood, and a lot more. Read to find out
You are one of the most popular and looked upon female faces in the Bengali industry for a long time. What do you think is the biggest reason why this image has lived with you for so long?
Well, I have been lucky. It’s been 23 years that I have been associated with the Bengali Film and TV industry. I have been lucky to get a lot of love. Even today, when I get messages or I meet people, I am always told that everything is still the same. It’s important to not get success in one’s head. It’s a tough world. It’s very important for an actor to have another hobby or something. While at times your hands will be full and you will be busy, there will also be times when you will be absolutely jobless. So having a positive mindset is important. In my case, I am very active wi th social work and some of my other interests also include cooking. I love it.
Given the kind of career you have had, it’s truly difficult to pick top 3 of your movies or shows. But if you had to pick 3 which are the closest to your heart, what would those be and why?
Well, you are absolutely right. It’s extremely difficult to pick 3 films of mine. But yes, I really enjoyed working in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s ‘Mondo Meyer Upakhyan’ (2002) only because he thought I could play the character. Most directors usually associate me with very urban characters. But he gave me this role which in itself surprised me a lot. I thank him from the bottom of my heart because he thought I could do this. Apart from that, I enjoyed playing Rupamati in Basu Chatterjee’s film ‘Hothat Bristi’ (1998). And out of the recent ones, I loved the character of Doyel Ghosh in Arindam Sil’s Ebar Shabor (2015). Having said that, I choose my projects very seriously and hence they are all very close to my heart.
How has the lockdown period been for you and how did you cope with the challenges so far that came with it?
Well, the period has had its ups and downs but I took it positively. I did a lot of things which I couldn’t do much earlier due to my hectic schedule, stuff like gardening, yoga and cooking. I cooked a lot (Laughs). I love interior designing and hence I also worked in my husband’s office. I kept myself busy. I also have two adorable dogs named Bruno and Diego. I hate calling them dogs as to me, they are more like my sons. I spent a lot of time with them and my family. So that was what lockdown was all about. Lockdown was a much-needed break for me.
The script or the director, which is more of a priority to you when you select a project?
Well, if I had to choose one, it would be a good script. It is very important. Good script can hardly go wrong. Over the years, I have worked with various directors, some very new whereas some veterans. I enjoyed working with each one of them. In fact, some of the directors I worked with earlier are now very popular and famous. So it’s a bit of both to be honest but script is a major priority.
Lastly, how do you think the Bengali entertainment industry is different from the Hindi entertainment industry and what can both the industries learn from each other?
Well, the Bengali film industry has heart, warmth and the brotherhood is very strong whereas I feel Bollywood as an industry is very superficial, extremely professional, cut-throat competition and it lacks the warmth I feel to an extent. They are very clannish and they are stuck in their own bubble. The Bengali film industry, on the other hand, is a smaller industry but there’s a lot of warmth within the people as colleagues. Apart from their regular work as an actor, they also are involved in a lot of things. So I feel this is something Bollywood should learn from us. And as far as what the Bengali team industry can learn from Bollywood, it’s the professional approach. I have worked in some of the Bollywood projects and I have seen it myself. When it comes to their production work & production design, they are simply impeccable. I think we lack that over here in some places. Some of the production houses here in Tollywood are fantastic too but I guess at times, we do lack that and it is something we can learn from Bollywood.
