‘Daddy taught me the value of human connections’

Raima Sen experienced a deep personal loss in 2024 – she lost her father,

Bharat Dev Varma

in November. Still coping with her grief, the actress, who has been keeping to herself till now, opened up to us about her relationship with her father, how losing him has impacted her life, her plans for 2025, and more.
"Daddy often told me that one should be ambitious, but it’s very important to spend time with family so that you don’t have any regrets in future 2024 made me realise not to take people and time for granted.

What matters is your relationship with your loved ones; everything else is temporary. I feel daddy’s presence no matter where I am; he’s with me" said Raima Sen

What did 2024 teach you as a person?

I lost my daddy, who was my best friend. And it taught me death is the most real thing in life; it’s inevitable. My father’s sudden demise brought me face-to-face with my worst fear, so now I’m fearless. Moreover, I’ll start working again and life will go on, but for now, it’s self-reflection time for me.
Would you call yourself wiser now?
I don’t know that, but I’m a transformed person now. Earlier, my father was there to take care of everything, but now, I know I have to be more responsible. He used to manage everything for us at home and we didn’t have to think about anything. This emptiness is something I can’t explain.

What are you looking forward to in 2025?
I just want to live life to the fullest, enjoy every moment, and do what I want to do. I don’t know what’s going to happen even tomorrow, so I want to live today like it’s my last day.
I’m going through a few Bengali scripts, from which I’ll pick the best once I finish shooting for the Hindi film in January. I also plan to only take on projects which I feel are worth my time and effort, else I’ll spend time with my family. Moreover, I’m not going an extra mile to please anyone anymore; I’ve had enough of that.

Any life lessons from your father that you understand now?
Daddy always lived in the moment; he was a fun-loving person. Now that he’s gone, I realise how important his approach to life was. Also, the only way you can deal with grief is by living in the moment. He also used to ask me to value

human connections

, as nothing else is real. That’s what I’m doing now.
How are you dealing with the grief?
I can’t go back to the past and change anything; neither can I change my future. So, I’m living in the moment and dealing with it. There are moments when I cry, but I believe going through those emotions makes me stronger.
We heard you used to share everything with your father.
Yes. I used to tell him everything after a day’s work. The only thing we didn’t talk about was my boyfriend, as he was very possessive about me. He used to think that no boy was suitable for me. Daddy used to say, ‘You have so much, so live happily. Why get married? Keep some assistants with you 24x7 who will look after you.’ That was his philosophy (smiles).
Daddy used to cut out all my articles and file them. I’d tell him that everything is digital now, but he would do it anyway.

We heard he was a great foodie.
Yes. He was the life of any party – from arranging food and drinks to music, he was a pro at it. So, after his shraddha, we organised an evening on our terrace and his friends came over to celebrate his life over food and music.
You had your share of relationships –do you still believe in love?
I do believe in love, as I have seen it from up close. But I want a guy like my daddy; someone who I can date or marry. He understood me, forgave me, loved me unconditionally, and took my side. Even if mummy used to get angry with me, daddy would be like, ‘Take some money, go out. You can come home when she cools down.’

So, are you waiting for Mr Right to settle down?
I believe in destiny, more so after my father passed away. Right things happen only at the right moment. So, I’m in no hurry, everything should happen organically. I had put my father on a pedestal that no other man has managed to match. Maybe that’s why I haven’t found Mr Right till now. Let’s see how things unfold now. I can’t go back to the past so I’m living in the moment & dealing with grief. There are moments when I cry, but I believe going through these emotions will make me stronger.

Daddy was the peacemaker of the house and my biggest supporter. I believe that only truly lucky people find the kind of love that my parents had for each other.