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Actress Riya Sen was the showstopper on Day Two of Kolkata Fashion Week II for designers Kaushik and Pallob and for Abhishek Vyas. Here is what she told Sreya Basu about her ramp-walking experience and sense of style. Photograph: Avishek Mitra.
What suits you more -- walking the ramp or acting?
I am cool with both. I love acting, but I can't also ignore the live attention I get when I walk the ramp (giggles).
Have you done back-to-back showstopping in a single show before?
No...and trust me, I was a bit tense about how I would manage changing clothes so fast. Although the two shows were merged into one, it was difficult because the two themes were poles apart. While Kaushik and Pallob's collection Royal Highness was more about panache, Abhishek Vyas' Natyosala was about the drama companies of rural Bengal. So the looks were completely different.
Talking about panache and style, what's your style quotient?
I have this fusion of Eastern and Western going always. I love gowns and Western outfits, but I also can't resist trying on a beautiful sari.
Is your sister Raima also like you?
She prefers more Indian wear.
Do both of you fight a lot over dresses and accessories?
Accessories, at times; dresses...no. We have our own individual choices.
Who wins the fight over accessories?
That depends on the situation...actually, Raima loves me too much to say 'no' to me (winks).
Do your mother (Munmun Sen) and grandmother (Suchitra Sen) interfere with your dressing style?
They don't interfere, but at times guide both Raima and me on things like which garment suits what occasion. Those are tips we really look forward to, especially from grandmother.
Your mother always makes it a point to be present just by the ramp during all your shows...
Yes, mother is always scared. She keeps telling people around: 'I just wish she (Riya) doesn't trip with those big heels!' (bursts into laughter).
Being the granddaughter of Suchitra Sen, you face a lot of comparisons with her. How do you manage?
I just turn deaf to those comparisons...no one can match Suchitra Sen. She is elegance personified.