Soumitra da used to call me Sabi and not Sabu like others: Sabitri Chatterjee

Sabitri Chatterjee has not been working since March. But the

veteran actress

is in no hurry to get

back

to work. “I am ready to

work

only if the script is good and my role is meaty. This

new normal

may not be the most

comfortable time

for the elderly. The pandemic has brought with it a list of restrictions that are even more stringent for senior citizens. Everything is digitised now, right from grocery shopping, banking to health services. I am also learning all these like others. To me, it is a new way of life. Since elderly people have a higher risk of contracting the virus, I hardly go out of my house,” she said.

She revealed that she still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that Soumitra Chatterjee is no more. “It is extremely painful to accept that Soumitra da no more with us. However, I believe artistes don’t die; they live within us for years through their work. Soumitra da will stay with us forever with his huge body of work. My first film with Soumitra da was Mrinal Sen’s Protinidhi. Not many know that he used to call me Sabi and not Sabu, as others do. His wife Deepa and I used to play badminton together. I have lost count of how many films we have worked in together. I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life. What’s more, his Apur Sansar is the only film I watched in two back-to-back shows,” said the actress.