Chatting with David Beckham during his recent India visit has been a high point for Kolkata girl Tridha Choudhury, who shot to national fame with the MX Player web series Ashram starring Bobby Deol. Tridha, who was last seen on Bengali OTT in Shei Je Holud Pakhi, is currently shooting in Kolkata for the Addatimes series, Sin. We chatted with Tridha about her Beckham meeting and what’s keeping her busy.

You recently got the opportunity to meet David Beckham at the Mumbai office of Meta India. How was the experience?

Tridha Choudhury: I got the opportunity to not just meet David Beckham but also interact with him and that was quite unique. Beckham’s team chose my profile as he personally wanted to do a feature for a reel for Meta. It is kind of like a personal content video which he agreed to make with me given that he likes my fashion sense. That is a great thing because Victoria Beckham is a stylish influence on his life. I hope to draw inspiration from Beckham, being a fashion fiend. Next time I see Beckham in the UK or Mumbai, I have to give him a jade green kurta or sherwani as he said he would love to wear one. Meeting him was amazing.

What brings you to kolkata?

Tridha Choudhury: Work. The last few years whenever I have visited Kolkata it has pretty much been about work. My last film was Abhijaan, which I shot in Kolkata, and now I’m shooting for the Addatimes series Sin. It is quite thrilling indeed.

What is the series about?

Tridha Choudhury: The plot of Sin is very gripping; it’s written by the director Arunava Khasnobis. When I was approached for the project, I took a lot of time to read and decide on this since my hands were full with Hindi projects. In Bengali every project has the most amazing twists and turns in plots. I’m enjoying it so far.

In Sin, I play a character called Rumi. She likes to flow like a philosopher and a poet. Her profession is journalism. Her words, the truth behind her identity is a very important part of the series. I’ve never played a journalist before. The audience will see me in a very mature, assertive manner. I’m very excited about that.

This is your second OTT series after Shei Je Holud Pakhi.

Tridha Choudhury: Yes. Shei Je Holud Pakhi was another great story. I always go for stories that I like and what I find interesting about the character. I was younger and a little scared because at that time the Bengali OTT platform had yet taken off. Now with OTT being recognised as a platform which is better than feature films, I’m pretty proud to be a part of it.

We don’t see you much in Bengali films. Are offers in Hindi that are coming your way more satisfying?

Tridha Choudhury: By god’s grace and through my acceptance in the Bollywood fraternity, Hindi offers are definitely more satisfying. There’s a lot more to offer, the audience reach is much higher. And with the new set of casting directors kicking in, I feel the casting system in Bollywood is very fair and clear. You have companies and agencies who kind of represent you and they take their job very seriously. The likes of Mukhesh Chhabra and Abhishek Banerjee have been very good. I have worked with all casting directors and they’ve done really well in placing me so far in pretty good and big projects. You will see a lot of me in Hindi films and in the OTT space as well. 2024 is going to be a big year for releases.

People loved you in Prakash Jha’s crime series Ashram on MX Player. How did the project happen?

Tridha Choudhury: Wherever I go, I see people greeting me with japnaam. Some people are scared to talk to me as they think I’m as serious and intense as the character (Babita) I played in Ashram.

I’ve several fond memories of the shoot. Ashram Season 4 is coming up, so the excitement level is through the roof. That character has given me a lot of love. People thought that I would not be able to handle mature characters and serious things on screen. I believe Prakash Jha, being one of the finest directors the country has known, has presented me beautifully. I’m very, very thankful for that. He gave me the opportunity to be recognised for the actor that I am.