Exclusive! Chanchal Chowdhury: I thank OTT platforms for expanding our audience

The actor is in Kolkata to attend the fourth Bangladesh Film Festival with his film Hawa

Chanchal Chowdhury in Karagar

Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury is nothing short of a superstar in Kolkata. The actor, who is currently in the city to attend the fourth Bangladesh Film Festival with his film Hawa, is enjoying every moment. After the screenings, he is seen visiting the auditorium, interacting with the audience, and singing the iconic, Sada Sada Kala Kala with the entire hall.

Chanchal has started gaining popularity in India with his Bangladeshi television films that are available on YouTube. He used to visit Kolkata almost every year with his theatre group Aranya. In a chat with OTTplay, the actor said, “There was a time I used to visit Kolkata every year with my theatre group, Aranyak. People used to watch natok (telefilms) on YouTube also. The audience just got bigger and better with OTT.”

He started working with Hoichoi on multiple web series. In 2020 his Taqdeer was dropped. Directed by Syed Ahmed Shawki, the series garnered critical acclaim. In 2021, his Boli was dropped. However, it is his collaboration with Shawki once again in Karagar in 2022 that became an instant hit. Along with the songs and trailer of Hawa, Chanchal emerged as a star in Bengal.

“It is because of OTTs like Hoichoi that we could reach out to a larger audience. I thank Hoichoi for making it possible. There are Indo-Bangladesh productions that are becoming very popular. With social media, the audience is also expanding. Earlier, it was only YouTube where people could watch our telefilms. Now OTT platforms are there. I worked with Zee5 in a series called, Contract,” he said.

Chanchal also mentioned that this cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh could have taken place earlier also. “In Bangladesh, we can watch most of your channels. If our channels were broadcasted here, we could have been introduced earlier only. However, I strongly believe that no LOC between two countries can stop us from exchanging our cultural heritage. After the release of Hawa trailer and songs, and the release of Karagar, people loved those,” he said.

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