A popular face in television serials, Sayantani Ghosh is back with a mythological drama. She will be seen as Kunti in Karn Sangini on Star Plus.“We have shown that Kunti realises her mistake of abandoning her son Karna. Because of social norms, she could not bring up Karna as a single mother. She didn’t have the courage then but after so many years she realises her mistake. She keeps on repeating this line, ‘Every time there is a war, one emerges as a winner, but a mother is always a loser.’” This, she says, gives a contemporary ring to it. “Even today, whenever there is a war or a skirmish at the border, it is the mother who is left grief-stricken.”
An erudite actor, Sayantani says, she could relate to her plight. “I don’t think anyone in today’s time can say that he or she never committed a mistake. We want to rectify our mistakes. Similarly, Kunti too committed a mistake, which she wanted to correct.”
On the increasing jingoism in society, the Kolkata-born actor remarks, “If I am not breaking traffic rules, not littering on the roads, paying taxes on time, it makes me a better patriot than someone who is just shouting slogans.”
Reflecting on the look of her character, Sayantani says it is unlike most other mythological serials where characters look like dressed for a wedding.
Minimalistic jewellery
“We have used minimalistic jewellery and outfits are soft and light in colour. Usually, Kunti is shown only in whites; here we have added rust and mustard as well.”
In order to reach out to young generation, the dialogues, she adds, are not Sanskritised. They are neither colloquial nor laced with bombastic words. Prayas would be replaced by koshish, bal ki jagah hum taqat bol sakte hai. This will make it easier for the average TV viewer to understand.”
Sayantani was last seen in Naagin, a series which is trolled a lot on the social media. “Well, it was a huge success in terms of the TRPs. It only reflects what society is ready to watch. As actors, we want to do diverse roles. However, my personal choice is to do contemporary stories.”