Abhirup Ghosh Sourced by the Telegraph
Aritra Sen Sourced by the Telegraph
Debaloy Bhattacharya
What are you working on now?
My film Dracula Sir was slated to release in May and I was preparing to shoot my next web series and suddenly it all got stalled. All I could do (instead of sulking) was to keep writing, churning out stories. So I worked on a film script and a new series in the last one month... and I am planning to fiddle with something experimental.
Will the pandemic affect your writing or story ideas?
For too long we have taken everyone and everything for granted. I hope we get to realise the value of meeting a friend for a cup of tea, going out for a walk in the evening. But I fear that people will come out of this quarantine more self-obsessed and alienated. As of now, I am just a mere observer.
Will things change for web shows post-pandemic?
There will be a huge demand for all types of original content, new ideas, and fresh voices. Bengali web is still in a nascent stage. It has all the possibility of creating a voice and language of its own... the post pandemic phase will be the perfect time for that.
Was 2019 the best time for Bengali web shows?
2019 was a really good time but the best is yet to come.
What are the popular themes for Bengali web shows? Do you keep in mind such trends while writing?
It is not a question of genre. It’s about the content and that is not only about stories. It’s about the attitude that makes web important, popular and aspirational. I wanted to but couldn’t have made Charitraheen as a movie. No one would have gone to watch it in the theatres. They would have waited for it to come on the web platform. Same happened to films like Obhisopto Nighty and Roga Howar Sohoj Upay. People watched them on DVDs and later on the web. Bengali cinema halls are full of
40-plus audiences who watch mega-serials round the year and go to watch a movie once in a while, made by 40-plus makers. And that has turned Bengali cinema into upgraded mega-serials. The youth have concentrated on the web. And that is what matters to me. The only thing that I wish to do is to create a dialogue with them.
What are you watching now?
I finished Fleabag and I am going through Killing Eve and Rahasya Romancha Series. I watched The Night of the Hunter, Peeping Tom and some early ‘slasher’ movies again. Portrait of a Lady on Fire was sheer ecstasy.
What kind of changes would you like to see in Bengali web shows?
I want to see our lives, stories, emotions and thought beyond Feluda, Byomkesh and Kakababu. Anything to shatter the influences, which are turning us into meek, docile, melancholic consorts of a zaminder who is now redundant.
Abhijit Chowdhury Sourced by the Telegraph
Abhirup Ghosh
What are you working on now?
Currently, I have been reading a lot. I am doing research work on a couple of concepts I want to develop. I have managed to finish some scripts that had been stuck for a while. I am planning some new projects but I have no idea how the market/industry will change after the pandemic. The audiences’ tastes and movie/series watching behaviour might change completely.
Will the pandemic affect your writing?
The residual effect of the pandemic and the so-called ‘new normal’ after the lockdown will definitely have an impact on my writing and story ideas. At this point, it’s tough to predict how things will be after all this is over. Whether or not we will ever return to normal life as we know it, remains to be seen. As far as story ideas go, I have already made a dystopian film, Zombiesthaan, which released last December. Ever since the pandemic started, people have been calling and texting me to say that the film was prophetic and many aspects of it are coming true. While the film did not do well at the box office at the time of release, it has suddenly become relevant. I’ll definitely explore more dystopian concepts in future.
Will things change for web shows post-pandemic?
Industry experts and seniors have been predicting a day when web shows will gain more popularity than theatrical releases for quite some time now. That day is very close. In these months of quarantine and isolation, people’s viewing habits are likely to transform completely. They are getting more and more used to the convenience of watching content from the comfort of their homes. While spectacle-centric films will still demand the theatrical, community-viewing experience, web shows might end up being the primary source of entertainment in the near future.
Was 2019 the best time for Bengali web shows?
I feel that web shows, especially in Bengal, are at a very nascent stage and everyone is just trying to figure out the medium’s potential and parameters. The best is most definitely yet to come.
What are the most popular themes for Bengali web shows?
Sex comedies and thrillers seem to be the most popular genres. I am not an expert but I feel that there is a demand and supply curve at play here. Thrillers have always been popular in Bengal, owing to the thriller-rich literary mine of Bengali culture and heritage. Sex is relatively new on Bengali screens, hence generates curiosity, and in turn, views.
Do you keep in mind such trends while writing?
I write whatever comes to my mind organically. The trends come into play once I start pitching a story to the authorities/producers. Whether a story gets approved or not is dependent on the trends to some extent at least.
What are you watching now?
I binge-watched Money Heist Season 4 of course like the rest of the nation. I also watched a series called The Outsider, which is based on a Stephen King novel, and is easily the best series I have watched in a very long time.
What kind of changes would you like to see in Bengali web shows?
I would like Bengali web shows to take more risks and explore new genres. Web series projects are being given adequate budget at the moment to go for really innovative and quirky concepts.
A major concern is the fact that the first preference of Bengali audiences is still Hindi or international web shows. Unless Bengali shows up their game in terms of content, we will fall behind. With almost every Bengali series being dubbed in multiple languages and being presented with subtitles, the web medium has provided a big opportunity to bridge the gap and reach out to audiences beyond regional boundaries.
Abhijit Chowdhury
What are you working on now?
I am writing a script for a thriller and a couple of new story ideas.
Will the pandemic affect your writing or story ideas?
I think it will. I don’t exactly know how yet. In the last decade we have seen the rise of racial hatred all around the world and identity politics and now this pandemic tells us we must fight it as one single race. If you are a film buff you know one can understand the happiness or pain of a character of a great film from any part of the world even if you don’t know the language or culture of that place. I hope to create stories which can connect with people from different backgrounds.
Will things change for web shows post-pandemic?
I guess it will take some considerable time before people can go to theatres to watch movies. People will be inclined to watch more web content. But many people including both the audience and the artiste will face economical hardship and will be in distress. And that will definitely bring a change in the way we tell our stories now. I expect to see more realistic, hard-hitting films and web shows.
Was 2019 the best time for Bengali web shows?
Yes, 2019 was a major boom for Bengali web series. A large number of Bengali audience has now started watching our work all around the globe.
What are the popular themes of Bengali web shows?
I think a good story is the key, and that can be from one particular genre or a mixed genre. Astey Ladies was a heist story with a pinch of humour, Manbhanjan was a period drama and Ekenbabu O Dhaka Rohosyo was a detective story.
Do you keep in mind such trends while writing?
No, I believe trends keep on changing. You cannot forcefully try to stick to a trend while writing an original story. Rather the focus should be to get the fun while writing. If you find the fun in your script definitely your audience will.
What are you watching now?
I’ve just completed watching Broadchurch and now I am watching World War II In HD Colour.
What kind of changes would you like to see in Bengali web shows?
I would love to see more diverse content, maybe some Bengali series which have really simple and fun storytelling like Panchayat and edgy action dramas like Family Man.
Which is your fave Bengali web show? Tell t2@abp.in
Aritra Sen
What are you working on now?
Our shows Kaali Season 2 and Mafia are in final stages of post-production. We are releasing Kaali 2 in May and Mafia in June. Me and my partner Rohan Ghose are writing a female detective show for Hoichoi, which will happen post-lockdown. We are also developing a Hindi series for a national portal. A lot of writing and drafting are happening.
Will the pandemic affect your writing or story ideas?
Yes it is a major event which will change the human psyche. Anything that affects the human psyche will be part of our writing. It will help in exposition of characters and provide as a great climactic or thematic setting for drama to be explored, hence we will include facets of it in our writing.
Will things change for web shows post-lockdown?
Web is the next thing. The pandemic has more or less made that certain. Public gatherings will be few and far between and will be restricted so people will watch content from their homes. Hence what better than web series to hook them? Also direct to OTT original films will increase in numbers as people will use this medium to explore cinema.
Was 2019 the best time for Bengali web shows?
It was a great time but I will say picture abhi baaki hain. The best is yet to come.
What are the popular themes for Bengali web shows?
Crime and suspense with sex in it is the mainstay now. We have consciously stayed away from sex as much as possible and tried to tell stories with which the masses can connect ... also give them fresh perspective and stories set differently. But the mainstay is crime and suspense. Nothing works like a thriller.
Do you keep in mind such trends while writing?
Yes we have to keep in mind. We try to play with the broader arc of the story and the setting but we keep the narrative style taut and like a thriller so that people get hooked and the numbers are more.
What are you watching now?
Just watched a fantastic British thriller called Collateral and a docu series called Sunderland ’Til I Die. I am an avid football fan and the series is exceptional in its emotional quotient. People are breaking barriers worldwide.
What kind of changes would you like to see in Bengali web shows?
Would like to explore more genres like musicals, romance, hyperlink urban multi-narrative and some really innovative docu content which is lacking in the Bengali web content repertoire.
