Today's item dances are costume oriented: Mafin Chakraborty

The pretty actress Mafin Chakraborty, who was earlier seen on Star Jalsha’s ‘Tapur Tupur’ is currently portraying the role of Jhimli on Colors Bangla’s “Tumi Ele Tai”. Not many know she is a hardcore dance lover. A trained Bharatanatyam, contemporary and creative dancer, she feels today’s item dances are costume oriented.  In a quick chat with Tellychakkar.com, she talks about her first love, acting and more. Excerpts:

What is dance to you?  

Dance is my life. It is my first love, and I cannot imagine my life without it.

You run a dance academy... 

Yes, it is called ‘Navarang Dance Academy’. I started it around 12 years ago. It feels great to see some of my own students working here as faculty members.

If not an actor and dancer, what would you have been?

If not an actor and dancer, then I would have been an air hostess! However, I was so occupied with these two creative art forms that the thought of air hostess never came into my mind.

Who is your favourite dancer?

Sandhya. She was mesmerising in the Bollywood film ‘Navrang’ (1959), which is known for its dance sequences. I also like Sridevi. 

What is your dream role?

I would like to play Sudha Chandran’s role of Mayuri in the film ‘Naache Mayuri’ (1986).

What is your take on item numbers? 

During the time of Helen, the item numbers were graceful but now the dances seem to be mostly costume oriented. I am not saying the item numbers of current times are not impressive! However, I feel when an item number is performed by any lead actress, there are variety and grace in the steps but it is not the same with other girls. In their case, the attention is more on the costume, which is most of the times vulgar. I feel bad about this. Among the heroines, I like Deepika Padukone’s performance.    

Given an option what kind of roles would you like to essay on big screen?

I would like to essay any role where I will get to showcase my acting skills; it could be any character driven role.