Mimi Chakraborty has won the hearts of many with her illustrious oeuvre. Coming under the spotlight with the serial Gaaner Oparey and having established her foothold in films, she now makes her OTT debut with the thriller Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo, inspired by the Bapi Sen case. As the series releases today on Hoichoi, we catch up with her about the series, where she plays lawyer Pritha Roy.
Who is Pritha Roy?
Pritha is a lawyer who is fighting for the Bapi Sen abuse case which happened 20 years ago. The show is inspired by real events, but not based on the incident per se. Bapi’s story is revealed through the eyes of Pritha, the protagonist.
What made you think this is the script for your OTT debut?
I believe that everything happens at the right time. I was offered many beautiful women-oriented dramas before but I wasn’t sure about myself. I believe OTT comes with a lot of responsibility of getting inside someone’s private zone where people can zoom and see. We have been on big screens and at most they can walk out of the hall. Here, they can skip you and you get to see the analytics. So I wasn’t sure previously, but now I think this is the right time and the right script. I wanted to portray someone who is not Mimi Chakraborty, but the character.
Anything different you picked up while working on the OTT platform?
OTT is very real nowadays. Since the show we are doing is based on real- life incidents, we have to be on track with the characters. I am playing a lawyer who is also struggling in her own life. A lot of research and home-work went behind the role.
You played advocate Kavya Sinha in Dhananjay. How is Pritha different from her?
My first choice was to not repeat what Kavya Sinha has done. When we read a story book, we can visualise the characters, I believe the same happens when you re-read the script. I can understand how the character’s graph progresses. Then you have the director to guide you. With Chandrasish [Ray, director] we used to have regular phone calls to brainstorm the characters, lines, pitches, and everything.
How has OTT helped regional actors transcend borders?
The NRI people now know where to find Bengali stuff. A lot of movies that we had done before are being watched by people now and they are giving positive feedback. They know where to find Bengali films and content on OTT. They have reached people across borders and the subscriptions are soaring. Today I know where to locate Aranyer Din Ratri.
Anything new on the music front…
My new rap song Bhallagchena is coming up in January after the web series releases I wrote the song and the music is by Taposh from Bangladesh.
Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo is streaming from today.