I want the Bengali OTT industry to grow along with our film industry: Subhashree Ganguly

When actor Subhashree Ganguly decided to debut on OTT with Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Indubala Bhaater Hotel, she was “skeptical about the adaptation”. The show is based on Kallol Lahiri’s hit novel, but the “overwhelming response” has assured her about her decision. The story delves into the journey of Indubala, who leaves her childhood village in Bangladesh and comes to Kolkata as a wife of a lecherous man.

“When it was announced, some people asked if it was the right decision on my part, but I see it as a natural progression. These days, we all watch fascinating works on OTT almost every day. I was eager to work on OTT only if I get a good character. I would have agreed to play Indubala even if it was a film. I do not know if I influenced anyone (other actors to explore OTT shows). If I did it unknowingly, I am glad. I surely want our OTT industry to grow along with our film industry,” she says.

Indubala Bhaater Hotel came at a time when Bengali web shows are driven by thrillers and stories of urban emotions. Ganguly says that it was futile to estimate what viewers might like. “There is a divide even among the OTT viewers. Some people like thrillers and some like action content. We Bengalis are a race of emotional people. Most of our viewers connected with the show. People from Bangladesh reached out to us. It is very fulfilling,” she says.

The actor’s character ages in the show, which involved prosthetic makeup. “It used to take over three hours to put the makeup on and around one hour to take it off. When I used to remove the makeup, I would be extremely sweaty. No struggle used to bother me in those 20-odd days. I was engrossed in shooting and living the character. We overcame the pain through the sheer good work we were doing,” she says.