Former Miss Universe and celebrated actress Sushmita Sen is no longer a well-known figure on the big screen, but her roles in web shows like Aarya and Taali still enthrall viewers. Nonetheless, the 2006 movie Chingaari, which resulted in unanticipated controversy and personal suffering, continues to rank among the most emotionally difficult moments of her career.
Sushmita Sen played the demanding character of “Basanti,” a sex prostitute in a small Indian town, in Chingaari. The film sought to portray the harsh reality of marginalized women in society, drawing inspiration from Bhupen Hazarika’s book The Prostitute and the Postman.
Despite receiving widespread acclaim for her portrayal, Sushmita Sen has disclosed that playing Basanti had a significant personal cost. “Every time a male touched me in any scenario, I felt very uneasy. In an interview, she said, “The character had a profound impact on me, even though I knew it was acting.” She clarified that the part had a lasting effect on her mental health.
The sequence with legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty, who portrayed a corrupt village priest, was one of the most talked-about aspects of the movie’s development. Sushmita Sen allegedly walked off set crying after feeling improperly touched by Mithun Chakraborty during the shooting of an intimate scene.
Director Kalpana Lajmi allegedly portrayed the situation as a misunderstanding when she confided in him about her uneasiness. After giving it some thought, Sushmita Sen thought she could have overreacted. After a private settlement, neither side ever again raised the issue in public.
When co-star Anuj Sawhney discussed a kissing scene with Sushmita Sen in an interview and said it required 36 retakes, it caused yet another controversy during the movie’s marketing. According to reports, Sushmita Sen took offense at his comments and completely stopped participating in the movie’s marketing.
Kalpana Lajmi, the film’s director, apologized for the conflict’s significant impact on the film’s two-month marketing. Despite Anuj Sawhney’s subsequent apology, Sushmita Sen decided not to continue the conversation.
Chingaari addressed serious issues including caste discrimination, power abuse, and the hardships encountered by Indian women in rural areas. The film was praised for its daring narrative and Sushmita Sen’s powerful depiction of a woman torn between personal survival and societal injustice, despite its lackluster box office performance.
Despite being a less well-known picture in her discography, Chingaari is perhaps one of the most illuminating periods of Sushmita Sen’s career as an actor and a woman negotiating the intricacies of Indian cinema.
