Exclusive! Gaurav Chakrabarty on a successful 2023: I am glad that I waited to get the right kind of characters on OTT

The actor mesmerised his audience with his three distinctly different performances in three web series – Abar Proloy, Chhotolok, and Parnashavarir Shaap.

Gaurav Chakrabarty

Undoubtedly, Gaurav Chakrabarty had the most eventful year in 2023. First, the actor stepped into fatherhood with his son Dheer. Along with his wife Ridhima Ghosh, he shared the news of their parenthood with much joy and excitement. On the other hand, Gaurav mesmerised us with three stupendous characters – Kanu in Abar Proloy, Raja Bhattacharya in Chhotolok, and Amiya in Parnashavarir Shaap. In a candid chat, Gaurav recalled the year that 2023 was for him.

“Both professionally and personally, 2023 has been undoubtedly the most eventful year for me,” said the actor. “There has been a huge step up. I got my son and my life has changed for the better,” he said.

Also read: Abar Proloy review: Raj Chakraborty’s OTT debut is a masterclass of entertainment in the Bengali industry

Gaurav started his journey on OTT with Lalbazaar on Zee5 three years ago in 2020. He remained absent from the OTT space since then. Last year, he shot Chhotolok with Indranil Roychowdhury. Soon after that, he worked with Raj Chakraborty in Abar Proloy. And finally, he collaborated with Hoichoi in Parambrata Chatterjee’s Parnashavarir Shaap. All three characters are strikingly different from each other and the actor executed them with elan.

“I think I am thought through a kind of good time in every way. I thank my luck. I am a sort of an atheist. However, our professional field entails a lot of luck factors. I consider myself to be lucky for getting offers like Chhotolok, Abar Proloy, and Parnashavarir Shaap,” said the actor.

Gaurav thanks his patience for the accolades he received this year for his OTT work. “It is not that I did not get other OTT offers between Lalbazaar and Chhotolok. I wanted to work in something different, something that would push me as an actor. Hence I waited because I could afford to wait. Many people can’t. You accept offers for various reasons. Then Kobida’s offer came. It was supposed to be shot earlier and then got postponed. Kobida was working on his script and he told us that he was not being completely happy. Finally, we started shooting after Puja last year.”

Also read: Chhotolok review: Daminee Basu shines bright in Indranil Roy Chowdhury’s unputdownable cop drama

But before that, Gaurav had a lot of sessions with the director. Explaining his journey, he said, “Kobida has a unique way of working. He pointed out that when we are on the shooting floors we often don’t get enough time to explain. Hence, he communicated what he wanted before the beginning of the shooting so that during the shooting I would know what he wanted and he would get what he wanted and the shooting would take less time. He read out the script to us. He used to meet two actors at a time with him for these seatings.”

Gaurav’s character as Raja Bhattacharya has received a lot of appreciation from viewers and critics alike. “It was a pleasant surprise that my work got appreciated here. Some characters stay with you after watching the show. Raja Bhattacharya is not a character like that. But it was one of the most difficult characters to play. As an actor, you have to work hard to execute the role subtly. Not only it is challenging to play a character like him, but it is also not easy to appreciate the actor playing such a character. In my 13 years of career, I am pleasantly surprised to see the appreciation,” he said.

Evidently, Abar Proloy involved a lot of rigour. Gaurav explained, “This one was much more ‘mainstream’ (for lack of a better word). The first challenge was to get the dialect right. We had a dialect coach. Ritwickda (chakraborty) and I used to go to Rajda’s office for dialect training. Then there was physical training. I worked like a maniac for two months to get some sort of a flauntable body. More than workouts, my diet was strictly controlled. I really worked hard so that I didn’t look bad when I took my shirt off. When I finally went on the floors, Rajda complimented me. He said that my ab muscles are visible and I was very happy,” he recalled.

The dance practice was another challenge that Gaurav took. Recalling the experience of Menoka -- the famous dance number, the actor said, “I worked on the steps for two-three days for the dance and then suddenly saw Nusrat (Faria) could do it in just two-three hours. That was it. She knew what to do and I worked hard to get there. I wanted to make sure I look authentic.”

By Gaurav’s admission, Amiya in Parnashavarir Shaap is the closest to his real self. “I just had to behave. I needed to have a certain body language. I really look up to Paramda (Parambrata) as a director and I finally got to work with him.”

Gaurav has geared up to welcome the new year with a lot of excitement. He is in Delhi with his family to meet his relatives. “I am in seventh heaven. I am thankful to Zee5, Hoichoi, Kobida, Rajda, and Paramda for trusting me with such wonderful roles. I will be spending my New Year’s Eve with Dheer, Ridhima, and other relatives. It has been a fascinating year for me and I hope everybody enjoys the New Year,” he signed off.

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