She grew up eating Satyajit Ray's sandwiches, sleeping in the homes of legends, and still had to fight for every single role. Sohini Sengupta, National Film Award winner, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, and the Heart of Nandikar, opens up about what it truly means to be an artist from the inside. In this episode of Expressions, Sohini talks about discovering herself on stage through Arthur Miller, the invisible cost of being the director's daughter, why she turned down Sacred Games and Yash Raj Films, and how theatre became her anchor through divorce, body shaming, loss, and self-doubt. She also reflects on her late mother, Swatilekha Sengupta's extraordinary discipline, the mystical dimension of fine arts, and why India is still catching up on giving women equal ground on screen and on stage. ABOUT SOHINI SENGUPTA A National Film Award winner for Paromitar Ek Din 2000 and recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2007, she helped establish Naataca, the Nandikar Academy of Theatre and Communication, in honour of her late mother. In 2026, she was named a Devi Awardee by Indulge and The New Indian Express. Known for emotionally complex roles across stage, Bengali cinema, television and OTT, Sohini is an acting teacher who has made Naataca a living institution. She splits her time between active performance, directing, and nurturing the next generation of theatre artists. FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Sohini Sengupta - National Award winner, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Rudraprasad Sengupta - Theatre director, her father Swatilekha Sengupta - Artist and musician, her mother Nandikar - Theatre collective Naataca - Academy of Theatre and Communication Satyajit Ray - Filmmaker Arthur Miller - Playwright Saptarshi Maulik - Husband ABOUT EXPRESSIONSExpressions is a series of unhurried, honest conversations with the people quietly shaping India's sport, culture, and consciousness. Less spectacle, more substance the stories behind the stories, told without filters.
