KOLKATA: Actor–anchor Saurav Das, known for films like Guti Malhar, Dum Dum Digha Digha, and Bolo Dugga Maiki, is essaying a pivotal role in Hoichoi’s web series Charitraheen. He says that he was depressed after playing his role in it.
Inspired by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel of the same name, Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Charitraheen (literal translation being “characterless”) is a take on immorality and infidelity. Set in the present time, the characters are portrayed to be characterless. As we keep guessing and judging, this series aims to take viewers to a zone beyond all judgement. Saurav essays the character of Satish in it. In an interview with business degrees, the actor spoke about his character and what he went through after shooting for the series. Here are some excerpts.
About his character in the series, Saurav said, ‘I am playing a guy who is in deep pain. Satish loves someone and is looking for that person but in his own way. Although there are a lot of women to love, he does not get the love that he is looking for. In our life, when someone leaves us, we miss a particular habit of that person, and in Satish’s case, it’s the smell of Kiranmoyee (Naina Ganguly). He comes across a lot of women in his life, but eventually, his quest remains unfulfilled. That’s his pain.’
The actor further added, ‘His other pain is the troubled relationship with his parents. His mother can’t recognize him, and it’s like the end of his life…. He is suspicious about his father’s character also. He almost caught his father red-handed quite a few times. So nothing is perfect in his life. There is an inner conflict within him.’
When asked what made him agree to this project, he shared, ‘I think when the makers thought about Charitraheen, they made the first call to me. I know Debaloyda since a long time. He did Manikanchana for Zee Bangla Cinema Originals, and since then, we share a good relationship. Debaloyda knows what I can deliver and how to extract the best out me, and he has done that.’
‘Debaloyda told me that this is a character that you have never done before; this is going to change your life for the better. Now every director says so, but I did not doubt him. Then, when I read the script, I was speechless. I won’t be able to express in words. The audiences will know once they watch it. The way Debalayda has shaped the character of Satish, I don’t think any actor has done such a role in the last five to six years. Both Debalayda and Kallolda have worked really hard for this script,’ he added.
Saurav said that he was depressed after playing the character of Satish. ‘After essaying this role, I was depressed for many days. Anindita and Debalaya helped me a lot during that phase. We used to have rigorous shooting at nights, and after returning home, I used to feel depressed. I used to cry. This character is like an addiction, and maybe that’s why renowned directors have appreciated it. So, let’s see how the audience reacts.’
Is there any message in the story, we quizzed. The actor replied, ‘I won’t be able to say whether there is any message or not. It’s a complex love story based on human emotions.’
With hope in his voice, Saurav, who was also seen in the web sitcom, Gariahat-er Ganglords, concluded saying, ‘Yes, this series might heal the pain of those who say Bengal does not produce good content. The audience feels that there is Netflix, Amazon Prime, and ALTBalaji, and that Hoichoi is not producing anything good. So, if they watch it with a neutral mindset, they will surely complete the entire series in one go.’
Four episodes of Charitraheen released today (29 September) and are streaming on Hoichoi. The rest of the episodes will release on 6 and 13 October, divided into three episodes each.
Produced by SVF, Charitraheen also features Gourab Chatterjee and Saayoni Ghosh.
