She is a professor of history, an ethical hacker and her passion lies in cracking psychological cases... she is detective Damayanti (played by Tuhina Das). With her husband Samaresh and their police friend Shiben, they form a formidable trio. Streaming on Hoichoi, Damayanti, the web series, has been created and directed by Rohan Ghose and Aritra Sen.

How is the feedback till now?

The feedback has been overwhelming. Lots of people have watched the series. We have received so many messages. They were waiting for the last three episodes and now that the mystery is solved they want the second instalment soon. The new detective on the block will be coming back soon (Damayanti is produced by Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Supriyo Sen of Roadshow Films in association with Madhuri Bhosale of Emveebee Media).

Damayanti is based on Rohoshyo Shondhani Damayanti by Manoj Sen. When did you come across the stories and what got you interested in adapting it?

We were looking to do something in the mystery and thriller genre and we were exploring Bengali literature. We thought mounting this story would be good as we would have a passionate female detective lending her perspective to some complex mysteries.

Why make it into a web series and not a film?

This is a franchise and the stories are such that there are several hook points and numerous characters, hence making a series would build intrigue and keep people glued for more. Also, as a franchise it works as a series so that Damayanti can come back in multiple instalments.

Detective Damayanti is a history professor. She is highly qualified... she is very inquisitive. How would you describe Damayanti?

Damayanti has all the qualities to be a versatile detective but above all the virtue that she has is heart. She has the heart for complex crimes and looking at them both rationally and emotionally. Her judgement is never black or white. It is always grey.

How is Damayanti, the character in the web series, different from the stories?

The stories were written roughly 50 years ago. But we have adapted it in a very contemporary manner. Hence the character of Damayanti is more dynamic. She is an ethical hacker, quite tech savvy and uses today’s lingo. She is the contemporary intelligent woman of today who has the heart to dig deep into crimes and come up with solutions and justification after a lot of emotional thoughts and arguments.

Indrasish and Tuhina in the Hoichoi web series Damayanti. Sourced by The Telegraph

Have you stayed true to the stories or made additions?

We had to deviate from the stories because we were adapting it to contemporary times. Also, making a seven- part series is quite challenging as all the characters have to be fleshed out and the tracks developed. This gives proper hook points that can keep the audience glued. Hence we developed subplots to create a complex web. All the while we have incorporated modern elements keeping in mind the core essence of the story. The heart of the story is the same but the way it unfolds is different.

Why cast Tuhina as Damayanti?

We wanted to cast someone fresh for the role, so that the audience doesn’t have a preconceived notion... we wanted to mount Damayanti as an intellectual history teacher with an edge, who is also extremely compassionate. Tuhina fitted the bill perfectly. She has worked extremely hard for the role. The result is showing and she is living Damayanti on the screen.

Her husband Samaresh (Indrasish) is quite interesting. He tries to figure out things, follows leads, but does not want to meddle... he gets offended when called Ajit or feels insecure at times. But he is there for and with her. How did you sketch his character graph?

We did not want the husband to be a typical sidekick like a Topshe or Ajit who sometimes do not have properly etched-out character graphs in several stories. Here, her husband is a constant. They are a young couple of today and have their share of worries but together they are a duo. Samaresh steps in where Damayanti either crosses the line or is left wanting. He provides a bit of sense in her and also acts as her check. The chemistry is very dynamic and has a lot of mutual dependence.

Chandreyee Ghosh is amazing. Tell us about her character and your experience of working with her?

She plays the most complex character... from the outside it seems as if she is the evil influence on the family but once you scratch beneath the surface like Damayanti does, you find out layers in the character. This makes her very interesting. One has to watch the series to find out the different facets of her character. She was outstanding as Munia and owned the screen. It was a pleasure to work with a fantastic actor like her. It really mattered in making the series work.

What kind of themes do you want to explore?

The stories all have complex personal problems, which lead to characters being on the edge. The problems, which cannot be spoken outside bedrooms, dominate the novels. But making them contemporary allows us to deal with these diverse themes more freely. We wish to explore not just the crimes but the psyche behind each crime and how the human mind is extremely complex.

How crucial a role does the setting play in your story?

The setting defines the mood of the story. Here the story is set in Bolpur. It starts very breezily and the themes of the setting get entwined with the story to make the texture more rich. We will explore different spaces and settings with each season.

How is the world of the woman detective different from the men?

It is quite different. Sometimes we see that the male detective is more drawn towards the nature of crime or the way the crime has been committed more than understanding the psyche behind it... the solution and the thrill takes centre point but here in case of a sensitive female donning the hat of a sleuth we see that she often reads between the lines and tries to understand the why rather than what... the how rather than who, which makes us delve a little deeper into the psychological aspects of the crime.

What were your main challenges for directing this series?

The main challenge was to adapt the story contemporarily without any flaws. One had to get the logic points cleared as it is a detective story. The other important factor was that it was the first season hence the characters of Damayanti, Samaresh and Shiben, the trio who are the franchise faces, become believable and connect with the audience. Setting the tone of a new franchise in every way is difficult. We have given our heart and soul to it.