Actor Zarina Wahab, who was last seen in Agneepath (2012), will star in a Bengali film about the still-existing brothels in the northern part of Kolkata. “I’m the malkin (owner) of such a kothi and I supervise the training part of the girls in it. It is a different role for me and Kolkata having a rich tradition of classical music encompassing all genres; it’s the right place for such a movie,” says Wahab.

The 53-year-old is happy to make her debut in Bengali films because she feels directors there make good cinema. “When (director) Nehal (Dutta)  narrated the script before me, the tale of a girl brought to a kothi in Bowbazar and her transition into a modern day baiji, I sensed it was going to be a rocker which none had attempted in the last several years,” says Wahab.

Dutta visited the areas to research for the film. “There are kothis in the Bowbazar and Rambagan area where you’ll find nauch girls from Lucknow and Varanasi... I was astounded with the fact that there are still ‘mehfils’ in such kothis during evening hours attended by their loyal clientele,” he says.