Don't compare me with grandma: Raima

Raima Sen does not let her family fame weigh her down.

But the granddaughter of legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen and daughter of the glamorous Moon Moon Sen does share a great rapport with the older women of her family.

"If dida (grandmom Suchitra Sen) is my perpetual source of inspiration, ma provides constant support, always trying to bring a smile to my face," says Raima.

"My sister Riya and I share a very warm relationship with dida. She never lets her fame interfere with our relationship. She is the best dida one could have. In fact, whenever I am in Kolkata, I have to have lunch with her. As I dig into some mouth-watering Bengali delicacies, we have scintillating conversation."

What does the conversation revolve around?

"Films, of course," says Raima. "But more often than not, we chat about the general state of affairs, laugh at the new trends in fashion, etc," she adds.

This, inevitably, leads us to the next question: Does she feel sad that her grandmom stays religiously away from publicity?

"Not at all," says Raima. "In fact, I take pride in the fact that my dida consciously avoids prying newshounds."

"Dida is a very private person," she continues. "She doesn't want the media to intrude into her life. And we respect her for that. In fact, no matter how friendly we are, I am not supposed to ask her why she stays away from the limelight."

"I would rather watch her old films on video and try and pick the skills. She is one of the very few actors who could effortlessly blend beauty with brains and reflect that on screen. The on-screen chemistry that she shared with Uttam Kumar cast a magic spell that broke all box-office records. One can never forget her million-dollar smiles."

Raima does resemble her grandmom more than her sister does. Mention that and Raima's face lights up, though she replies in her usual nonchalant way: "It's a huge compliment for me. I really don't mind people discussing it."

"What I do mind," adds Raima, "is when people try to weigh my skills against hers. That's unfair. Dida is a legend and I have just completed the first lap of my career. I would rather be evaluated for who I am and what I am."