I grew up with a strong and talented mother who cared and provided for me and my brother, but who wasn’t treated fairly herself. She wanted to be a fashion designer and an actress but was not allowed, instead forced to only fulfil her role as a mother and wife. When my father passed away, my mother was forced to work. It was her strength and determination which inspired me and her encouragement for me to pursue my dreams, whatever they may be. This resulted in me initially on the stage (theater) and then doing films, while I took up the cause of Human rights close to my heart!

After I won Miss Kolkata while I was still in school, I went to Delhi where I did five years of intense and serious theatre. I learned all about how to really get into a character’s skin and bring new ideas and nuances to the director. While doing so much in-depth work to master my craft on stage, Sushmita Sen hand-picked me for Miss Universe India where I won a title and was noticed by the mega South superstar, Mammoothy, who chose me to play the lead with him in The Train, which launched me.

At the beginning, it was mostly a difference between the roles I was offered - they didn’t have as much meat then and were definitely arm candy to the man. But working with Buddadeb DasGupta wasn’t like that, he really believed in women's empowerment. We filmed stories based on Rabindranath Tagore and his film sets really lived up to that kind of progressive thought. I was very lucky with the people I worked with as I went on to do 7 films as a lead, 3 with national award winning directors - I do think that the majority of people out there are good and want to do good work, it’s just the bad apples that spoil the pudding for everyone! I definitely did have my fair share of run-ins with some of the nasty big names during the start of my career and without a doubt those men have made many lives hell, but I never took any of that rubbish.I was there to work and if they didn’t accept me on purely those terms I was out of that door faster than a cat with its tail on fire.

Firstly, I take my choice of roles seriously - I cannot tell you how much pure rubbish I turn down , asking to play or what they term “bold roles” but actually are anything but bold. Boldness means standing up for what you believe in, not titillation. So I tend to choose roles and projects that are creative, inspiring and in some way will uplift or positively entertain society. Secondly, I work for humanrights.com and use their beautiful films to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Illiteracy is high and attention spans are low, so the way we reach the youth to teach them their rights is by using 60 second films - they are so emotional and if you want to teach anyone, the best way is to hit their emotions through art.

Well, I call for human rights education in South Asia and the reason I do so is because that’s where I’m from and also where it’s most desperately needed. Unfortunately, around the world South Asia is known as a hotspot of human rights abuse, particularly when it comes to the rights of women. In villages across India it’s still common for girls to marry at the age of twelve and have to ask permission to leave the house - they don’t have their own money, can’t choose their own clothes or their life partner. In 2020!

We are in a golden age in India as art is being used to promote human rights awareness. Thappad, the film which just released, promotes Don’t Torture. The same director, Anubhav Sinha, released Article 15 last year which even read out the Constitution of India at the interval - focusing on Do Not Discriminate. There are so many films taking up these issues I can’t possibly name them, but look at Dangal, Toilet, Soni on Netflix , it’s such an exciting time because films really can change the world and artists are doubling down right now on these vital issues. The only thing I would change is to increase it - it’s what society most needs, it’s the job of an artist!

Women are now regularly headlining films and playing the hero, not the damsel in distress in many cases. Of course this still exists, but I do think that it’s important to retain femininity too. It’s really about having a choice, not being forced into a box. Priyanka Chopra playing Mary Kom, Alia Bhatt in Raazi, Sonam Kapoor in Neerja, Tapsee Pannu in Pink - it’s all slowly building in the right direction towards equality - what we are starting to see on the screen is taking baby steps towards what we want to see in real life, and that’s the beauty of art - reel life turns into real life. My favourite role was my character in Ant Story, for which I was nominated Best Actress at the Dubai and Shanghai Film Festivals. The character had to navigate so much to try and protect her dignity - her boyfriend was useless, her persecutor was disturbed and all she really could rely on was herself - a powerful and inventive woman.

A normal day sees me up at 6.30 am in the gym. Then I’m learning lines and taking meetings or travelling or shooting. While doing this, I absolutely insist on my own rights and those of the people around me. I won’t accept discrimination, I insist on my right to expression and freedom of thought and I take great pleasure from my right to responsibility. My duty is to help others also understand and demand their rights. It’s kind of a blessed situation, to exist with all of your rights intact, and of course there are struggles, even with those who mean well. But I deeply believe that mankind is good. And with the majority of people, all it takes is simply pointing out that misbehaviour is not optimal for change. Thank God, if people were not intrinsically good we just wouldn’t be able to survive.

So many places. Because each life is so different and we all truly need to insist on our fights. The obvious examples in the big picture are the right to education - no girl child should not go to school! The most encompassing right that needs work for women is against discrimination- women should be given absolutely the same opportunities and rewards as men, based on our merits. Society has only done disservice by doing anything else - if a woman is the smartest or most organised or most ferocious, by not selecting her for a job, the entire ecosystem suffers.

Art, nature, people. Connecting with other people, taking inspiration from them, asking for help, making a difference, having strong, wise, beautiful people in my life, that’s inspiring and uplifting. I love hearing human stories. Seeing conditions change positively around me. I find it very uplifting . I admire Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, the founder of Youth for Human Rights, the human rights education program I’m South Asia Ambassador for, which has educated 650 million people on their rights. I admire the women in my industry who are constantly pushing and breaking barriers!

I’m working on a new web series, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor for Hotstar. I’m super excited to shoot, as it’s a role I identify with and my schedule begins In March .