Exclusive! The Vaccine War Actress Raima Sen Says, "We Hate A Villain Because The Actor Has Done A Good Job"

Raima Sen started her career with the 1999 release Godmother in which she played a small role. She was later seen in Daman in which she portrayed the character of Raveena Tandon's daughter. Her first Hindi film as a lead was Fun2shh, but she rose to fame with her performance in Parineeta.

In her career spanning more than two decades, she has been a part of many Hindi and Bengali films, and she is now gearing up for the release of her next Bollywood film The Vaccine War.

Filmibeat recently interacted with Raima and spoke to her about her role, why she does less Hindi films, Bengali movies' pan-India release, and more...

We have hardly seen you in a Hindi film in the past few years. So, what made you say yes to The Vaccine War?

I have been doing web shows in Hindi and I have done a couple of Hindi films that haven't been released yet. So, I was working, but yes of course, The Vaccine War is going to make more of an impact, like a comeback, than any of the films that I have done in the past few years. I thought of being a part of this film because I really liked The Kashmir Files and when Vivek met me, he told me that this is a very clean film; it celebrates India's achievements and victories, and this is the film I am proud of and it will go down in history. So, I said I would love to be a part of it, good or bad because this is a film that people should watch.

As you said this film is about India's achievements. So, when it was offered to you weren't you like give me a positive role, I don't want to play a negative character.

Not at all, I thought this would be a great challenge for me to accept this role. He (Vivek) told me people won't love you, but they can't ignore you either. So, for an actress, there's nothing greater than that. When we hate a villain in a film, it's obviously because the actor has done a good job. So, I am glad that my role will be impactful, and it will stand out.

In the last two films of Vivek Agnihotri, The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files, Pallavi Joshi played negative roles and she even won National Awards for her performance in both movies. Now, does that put pressure on you as now in The Vaccine War, you are playing the negative role?

She is a very good actress, I don't think I can compare myself to her. She was fabulous in The Kashmir Files, but I don't look at her as a negative character. He (Vivek) told me that in this film you play your role honestly and convincingly because you are convinced that what you are saying is correct. In my head, I am not playing a negative role. I am playing a science journalist who believes that what she is saying is the truth. So, I am not under pressure like that but I know that in all his films, he gives women a very powerful role. Even I play a very strong character in the film; it's not like I am playing a negative role, so she is nothing. She is a very strong character.

Do you have any scenes with Nana Patekar?

Yes, we have a confrontation scene. But, though I am going to be seen in a scene with him, I didn't get to meet him personally, unfortunately.

You have been in the Indian film industry for the past many years now, and have also done many amazing Bengali films. While now we see that many South Indian films are being released as pan-India films, why we don't get to see Bengali films getting a pan-India release and do you think Bengali filmmakers should start doing that?

I hope they do that. We have been waiting for that. A lot of filmmakers from Bengal have moved to Mumbai, and a lot of films here are getting National Awards. So, maybe it is just a matter of time before there's more awareness about Bengali films like South Indian films. But of course, you can't compare the budget of a Bengali film to a South film or a Bollywood film. So, that's something I feel has to change.

When a script comes to you what's that one thing you look forward to before saying a yes to it?

First I look at the director. For me, I rely heavily on the director. I have to believe in his vision and my gut tells me whether this director is good and whether can he get the best out of me or not. So, first the director, then the script as a whole, and then my role. At this point, I will do any role that makes an impact.

After The Vaccine War, which projects do we get to see you?

You will definitely see me. I have finished shooting for a show for Amazon Prime Video; it is directed by Sudhanshu and Nithya Mehra, and it should be released soon. I also have two Bengali films, one Bengali web show, and one Hindi web show.

The Vaccine War is slated to release on 28th September 2023.