Ishaa Saha has carved out a place for herself in Bengali films and web shows in the last few years. “I want to explore more and broaden my horizons,” says Ishaa, who will be seen in the adventure thriller Karnasubarner Guptodhon that releases on September 30. The Telegraph chat...

How would you sum up the year?

There was a sense of uncertainty in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic... and I had decided to do a few projects... I found the scripts of those films or shows that had come to me really nice. The pandemic had influenced my choice of films to some extent. Of course films like Karnasubarner Guptodhon and Kacher Manush, which I have shot for this year, are very close to my heart. The web shows have been really successful and got a huge response.

Were you confident that Indu would become such a huge hit?

I really liked the story and found it to be relevant. It was a thriller that the whole family could enjoy. I had put in a lot of hard work, and it worked out really well. The huge success of Indu went beyond my expectations.

Ideally, would you like to have three releases in a year?

Two to three releases are fine. The audience for films and web shows are different.

And your characters Jhinuk and Indu, from two such successful franchises, are so different from each other....

Yes. My audiences have seen both, and they don’t really compare the two.

When it comes to acting, I am all for minimalism... I believe in the subtlety of expressions. I feel people love my work because of the realistic, natural style of acting.

A moment from Karnasubarner Guptodhon, which releases on September 30

Do they see a certain kind of innocence in your characters?

But I don’t want to do such characters all the time. I want to do something different also but I am not desperate about it. I’ll get to do all kinds of characters in the course of time. After a certain point, there is a tendency for actors to get typecast in certain roles. Maybe it happens because audiences also like to see them in such roles. Mafia saw me in a slightly different light. Earlier I would get roles that were really mature. Now I get characters who are vibrant, assertive or they talk a lot. There has been a change in the way the characters are being offered to me now, and that’s really great. I am getting to play varied characters. I would like to play someone with grey shades. I am open to it. I feel the contrast would really work well.

Are you in the numbers game or in the competition? Do you even think about it?

No. I just focus on my work. My competition is with myself only. I try to better myself with each project. I never wanted to be a one-film wonder. I am here for the long run. I always think of the future.

What was your reaction when you got to know about Karnasubarner Guptodhon?

I was really excited. We were all really kicked to start the shoot once again. We had script-reading sessions... and the best part is that we three (Abir Chatterjee, Ishaa and Arjun Chakrabarty) share an amazing understanding and bond. During shoot we also got the liberty at times to improvise with our dialogues. This happens because the lines come so naturally to us.

Did you discover a new side to director Dhrubo Banerjee?

He has become a perfectionist. The shooting experience was really exciting and challenging as well.

What is Jhinuk doing in this film?

I can’t reveal much right now. Of course she has evolved with time, and so has her relationship with Arjun Chakrabarty’s character.

What are the high points of the film?

The scale and canvas is huge. The mystery and the adventure has doubled. The audience can expect lots of twists, turns and surprises. Of course the camaraderie between the three of us are on point.

Picture: B. Halder

Ishaa’s wardrobe: Kaasni India by Rinku & Ritu; styling: Bombae by Aisha;

Make-Up: Sourab Ganguly; hair: Bina Nath