“Playing a prostitute was tough!” – Sushmita Sen

After wooing the masses with soft characters that she portrayed in Main Hoon Na and Bewafa, Sushmita Sen is all out to shock and startle her fans with a brutal performance in Kalpana Lajmi’s Chingari. In this film Sushmita Sen plays child-prostitute. Shot extensively in the verdant landscapes of Panchgani, Chingari tells a story of a woman, who was sold to a brothel keeper when she is barely twelve. “Chingari celebrates womanhood,” Sushmita revealed.

What is Chingari all about?
Well, the character that I play in Chingari is that of a prostitute. By that you must have guessed that Chingari is about prostitutes. The film shows that though I’m a prostitute by profession, I’m not living with disgrace. I’m a prostitute yet I’m like any other woman.

Surely there must be something more that prompted you to say yes to the film�
Yes, of course! Basanti, the character that I play in the film, is worldly wise yet there’s certain innocence about her. She is strong yet vulnerable. She is tomboy yet she is feminine. Yes, she is also very besharam just like prostitutes are (laughs)! This is for the first time that I’m playing a prostitute and have taken it as a challenge to portray the character as realistically and differently as possible. And it’s been a tough experience.

How was the experience of working with Kalpana Lajmi?
Good! You know, I usually ponder a lot on a story and the script before saying yes to the film. But here I said yes in two hours of Kalpana narrating the script to me.

Chingari apart, you also have Main Aisa Hi Hoon with Ajay�
Yes, that is another film I’m looking forward to. Ajay is playing a mentally challenged character in the film. This is my second film with him after Hindiustan Ki Kasam. As for my role, I don’t want to reveal much, I’m a surprise in the film.