Television's leading face Susmita Dey is ready to shine in a new medium. She is all set to debut on OTT with Aditi Roy’s web series Kuheli, a comic thriller, in which she plays a shy woman named Radhika Singha. In a chat with Indulge, she talks about her experience working on the series. Excerpts:
This is your OTT debut. Are you excited or nervous?
I was nervous before, but now I am excited. So far, I’ve only worked on television, so this marks a medium change, which is different. Moreover, I have such amazing co-actors and sharing the screen with them is a privilege. I learnt so much from them and our director, Aditi Roy. She is such a calm person and handles everything so well. She always has backup plans ready. It’s a great blessing to have such a wonderful team for my first web series.
Kaushik Sen stars opposite me, and he is a brilliant actor. I was in awe of his flawless acting.
How was your experience shooting with the cast in the mountains?
It was wonderful. When I first heard that we would be shooting in the mountains, I wasn’t entirely convinced. The cast is wonderful. Kaushik Sen stars opposite me, and he is a brilliant actor. I was in awe of his flawless acting. Sharing screen space with actors I have watched growing up is a big deal for me. I hope the audience will really like the series. They can expect something different from Kuheli since it is a murder mystery with refreshingly unique twists.
What is the one lesson that you will carry from the entire experience?
There are several lessons. As a cast, we lived in the mountains together for around five days. So, we developed a good bond, especially between Ridhima Ghosh, Angana Roy, and me. Outdoor shooting has its own set of challenges. Everything has to run on a tight schedule, and adjusting to that has been a huge lesson.
Tell us about your character, Radhika.
Radhika is extremely skittish. She lost her parents at a very young age. Her world revolves around her elder sister Debika (Ridhima) and younger sister Ishu (Angana). She gets anxious very easily. She is the mother of a girl child and is extremely scared of her husband, SP Rana Singha (Kaushik Sen).
Radhika tries very hard to be a ‘good wife’ and makes sure she doesn’t make any mistakes. Her husband doesn’t believe in God and gets angry if she talks about devotion. However, despite being cowardly, she hides an idol of Radha and Krishna and worships them. She is well aware of the consequences if she ever gets caught, but she is committed to her devotion, which gives her strength. I hope I was able to justify the character.
Did you have fun shooting for the series?
We had a lot of fun during filming, especially when we shot in the mountains. Ridhima, Angana, and I had two call times: one was when we had to shoot, and the other was our adda time after shooting. When we were shooting, we had to be extremely focused because the weather was unpredictable. We couldn’t really have fun on set. But, after a long day of shooting, the three of us had long chat sessions.
Kuheli is a comic thriller. How do you think the audience will perceive it?
Kuheli is definitely experimental, and since the audience is open to new content, it would be fun to watch. This web series has a lot of emotions, layers of stories, and both light-hearted and serious moments.
I am extremely scared of insects, so I always check the rooms. I can adjust to everything, but insects really bother me
Shooting in the mountains must have been fun, but there must have been challenges too?
I love mountains; they are like an escape to me. So, of course, shooting in the mountains had its fun moments. But I have this one problem wherever I go, I am extremely scared of insects, so I always check the rooms. I can adjust to everything, but insects really bother me. I am always concerned whether there are any spiders, and it can even ruin my sleep! I can never shoot in a cobweb-infested place; I will simply refuse.
Are Radhika and Susmita similar in any way?
Well, there are several dissimilarities. Radhika is timid, cowardly, prone to panic, and cannot express herself clearly. Susmita is nothing like that. In real life, despite making mistakes, I try to handle every situation with a calm mind, which Radhika can never do. A similarity would be that both of us are soft-spoken and introverted, and both of us are devotees of Radha and Krishna. I even sang a few lines of devotional music in Kuheli, and it was a new experience for me.