Actor-singer Surangana Bandopadhyay on playing a young detective in Detective Charulata
While prepping for her role in Joydip Banerjee’s web series, Detective Charulata, streaming on KLiKK, the young and vivacious Surangana Bandopadhyay considered Charulata as “just a character”. “I didn’t want Charulata to come with any sort of baggage. She’s a young woman, who just happens to be a detective,” adds Surangana. According to her, Charulata is a highly confident woman, a tad arrogant and snobbish in her ethics. We speak with the actor-singer to know more about the series and her part in it.
What made you choose Detective Charulata?
The idea of a young girl who is a detective attracted me to the script. We somehow only think of a middle-aged man when we think of a detective. The fact that this web show is making an attempt to break this notion intrigued me.
I feel an actor is aligned with a detective at a point where they need to hone their observation skills, which their profession demands. As actors, we have to be observant about our surroundings to recreate the characters around us, or get inspired from them; and for detectives, if they aren’t observant enough of people’s reactions or emotions around them, they wouldn’t be able to solve problems. Also, the relationship between Charulata and her brother Tapu is very similar to what I share with my cousins. I scold my younger brothers a lot, yet they listen to what I have to say.
Is there anything else you liked about the script?
I really liked how the script openly discloses taking inspiration from Satyajit Ray. Charulata’s name itself, along with her signature handheld binoculars, her elder sister Sidhu Di, all hints at Satyajit Ray’s creations, and that it is a tribute to him.
Would you agree that women are more observant by nature?
I disagree. Whether someone is observant or not cannot be determined by the gender, race, caste, sexual identity, nationality, or anything for that matter. Whether a person is observant or not only depends upon their nature and abilities. We have come a long way, and I think, though I don’t like social media, it has helped us create awareness about many issues, regardless of how much negative impact it has on us.
But, in your profession, shouldn’t you have a great social media presence?
I have never really liked social media, but I need to have one, especially for my professional life. And to maintain that is like a ‘professional hazard’ to me. I have kept it as work-related as possible, and have never considered it to be a significant part of my life. I am privileged that even without a great social media handle, people reach out to me for work, because I have learnt that when casting companies reach out for projects, especially in Mumbai, they ask for your social media followers. I don’t know how your number of followers matters in your course of work, but sadly, that is how it has become a part of society.