On a cloudy Wednesday, Ishaa Saha, Saurav Das and Suhotra Mukhopadhyay got together for a meet-and-greet session with contest winners at Bunaphile Roasters and talked about the Zee5 series Paashbalish.

Directed by Korok Murmu, the romantic thriller has themes of lost love, friendship, rekindling love and vengeance. The story revolves around two orphans who get separated as kids and later get stuck in the rivalry between two infamous groups in the bespoke area, Bengalis and Paharbonghis. Another important angle is the journey of childhood friends Babla (Suhotro) and Mampi (Ishaa) who were separated in Bangladesh. Fifteen years later the show reveals how fate brings Babla, Mampi, Swadesh (Saurav) and Adhiraj (Rishi Kaushik) into a full circle and reveals secrets.

Ishaa Saha looked pretty in a floral top as it rained outside. She said: “The show has been very well received. Anchol’s character is that of a crime journalist and I don’t know anyone personally who is a crime journalist. Ishaa is not like Anchol, I cannot see a lot of gore or blood or crime. We all have a paashbalish, the safe space where you can be yourself unapologetically and I believe it is very important to have that space and find that person as well,” she added.

Suhadra Mukhopadhyay

Suhatro Mukhopadhyay has a double role in Paashbalish. “The time between being both the characters was very less and that was definitely a challenge. I have watched the series and of course self-criticism is the first reaction but there are places where even I felt like the two characters are different individuals. Even while we were shooting I would think to myself that if I successfully execute both the characters, as a performer, it is an achievement. The title is a very accurate metaphor considering the nostalgia-based plot. I have seen multiple people find their safe space in their pets. So a paashbalish has no definitive form but only a feeling and everyone should have a paashbalish,” he said.

Saurav, who plays the role of the leader of the Paharbonghi clan is seen in the hues of vengeance and rebel with a cause. He said: “It feels good that the show is getting the response that I expected. Paashbalish is a very smartly executed web series for me. There is a lot of innocence in Paashbalish. My character might be perceived as a negative one if one judges by the teaser. However, it is of a person with cause... I am the hero of my story. I loved the backdrop of the story and I enjoy playing such layered characters like Swadesh. Additionally, the language Swadesh speaks is a kind of Bengali that I had never spoken before so there was another challenge.”

t2 readers sent us their answers on who their comfort zone aka Paashbalish is. Glimpses from the meet-and-greet session...

Saurav Das

Pratika Sanyal said, "t2 is my paashbalish. It helps me get information on trending food, cafes, fashion and keeps me updated. I'm a student at Jadavpur University and I watched the series with a political approach and I think it is not just a common mass story. The series shows that those in powerful positions also have a personal life. I have a friend from Patharkuchi and what the series has brilliantly displayed on screen is how simple people they are irrespective of the amount of wealth they have."