People still call me ‘Bhutur Thakuma’: Lily Chakraborty

From Satyajit Ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee to Gulzar, veteran actress Lily Chakraborty has worked with the finest directors of Indian cinema. Yet the beautiful actress has no reservation about doing television serials.
Rather the diva who charmed the silver screen with her grace for years, loves being called ‘Bhutur Thakuma’ (grandmother of Bhutu).
In a candid chat with timesofindia.com, the veteran actress shared the experience of working with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and her perspective on today’s mega serials.
The actress is presently busy with her 6 months long mega serial ‘Briddhashram’ and two upcoming films.
She said, "I love acting. Be it stage, television or films, I feel the same attraction. I find it amusing when people still call me Bhutur Thakuma.” The actress played the role of a loving grandmother in a popular Bengali serial ‘Bhutu’.
"At that time I was doing the serial Bhutu. One day I was going for my shoot when a gentleman rushed towards my car and requested me to wait so that his little child could see Bhutur Thakuma, ” she laughed while sharing her experience.
The actress has done popular serials like, ‘Tumi Robe Nirobe’ and ‘Dwiragaman’. But she doesn't want to do mega serials with ‘saas-bahu’ drama anymore.
She strongly believes that the soaps showing regular dosage of high voltage drama and abuse against the female protagonist, leave a negative impact on society.
“I get offers many for mega serials. But I am choosy about work. Most of the serials show same old drama. The way the serials show the female characters being abused by their in-laws or other relatives is simply unacceptable. It leaves negative impact on our society," added Lily Chakraborty.
Lily shared that she wants more television serials like, ‘Ekak Dashak Shatak’ or ‘Sei Samay’ which were hugely loved by the audience.
The actress shared screen with Amitabh Bachchan (Alaap, Chupke Chupke), Uttam Kumar (Deya Neya), Vinod Khanna (Achanak) and other popular actors.
She said, “Amit Ji and Uttam Kumar were very down to earth. Having Amit ji around was like having fun on the shooting sets. Uttam Kumar never made others feel that he is such a huge star. I am lucky that I got the chance to work with these legends.”
Lily had worked with Satyajit Ray in ‘Jana Aranya’ and ‘Shakha Proshakha’. “Every time I got a call from Manik da, my heart skipped a beat. One can’t express joy of working with such legends,” the actress said.
The humble actress encourages the new comers with her support and affection and appreciates the works of new directors and young actors. The actress, who is in her mid 70s, keeps the shooting floor vibrant with her energy. When asked about her secret of energy, she said, “The love I have received from the audience and my passion for good work keep me going.”