Kadambini Ganguly To Parboti Actor Ushasi Ray On Playing Empowering Characters

Bengali actor Ushasi Ray wants to play inspiring and empowering women characters on-screen. This was the reason why she played the role of Kadambini Ganguly in the Bengali television serial titled Kadambini. The serial is based on the life of the first Indian woman to become a doctor. It showcased how and what problems she went through before becoming a doctor during the pre-British era.

Ray made began her career in the Bengali entertainment industry as a model and actor. She first debuted in television serials, most of which has a women-centric or women-led storyline. She is popular for playing Ahona in Milon Tithi, Bokul in Bokul Kotha and Kadambini.

She first made her OTT debut with Turu Love, where she played the character of Vrinda. She has played the girl-next-door to a historical personality, Ray's upcoming web series Sundarbaner Vidyasagar will show her in a completely new light. After the release of its trailer on social media, her fans could not stop gushing over her new character.

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In  Sundarbaner Vidyasagar, she plays the role of Parboti, who is a widow and lives in a place called Kumirkhali, which is shared by many other widows. According to the plotline, these women are not allowed to remarry. The show, directed by Korok Murmu chooses to show Parboti in a complex light wherein she is scared to go against the system but also takes on to herself to stand up against it.

Usually, Ray screams at her parents seeking second thoughts on scripts and characters that come to her but to Parboti, she said yes without any second thoughts. The series is scheduled for online streaming on March 11, 2022. “Parboti is a very strong character. The layers existing in the character of Parboti is extremely dynamic and which has made the character special to me,” she said.

Ray in an interview with SheThePeople talks more about her character, the series and the challenges she has faced transitioning from television serials to web series. Some edited snippets.

Her Roles

This sheer hunger to do something different each time is what leads her choice of picking characters. Parboti was one such character for her where she believes she will surprise the audience with her acting.

"I felt the anger of Parvati, the emotions and her crisis,” Ray said while explaining why she did not have to put second thoughts before saying yes. Even though she was nervous about playing the role, Ray thanks the script written by Arkadeep Nath for being her guiding force.

"When the script is this good, we often say that it is the author backing character and one gets the support from the unit and the co-artist. These factors made it easy for me to imbibe Parboti’s character," Ray said.

Ray goes on to say that Parboti is the strongest woman character that she has played to date in her career.

Ushasi Ray/ Instagram

How is working in a series different from working in TV serials?

"There was a huge change. In the web series, we know how it is going to happen and what the ending is going to look like and what the character is doing. But in the serial, we do not know," Ray says.

At times, she would end up confused while acting a scene or deciding what to do next while shooting a serial. "I have no idea what I will or my character will be doing in the next few scenes or episodes. At times, this becomes confusing," she says.

But these things become clear in a ">series. Like to prepare for Parboti, she had time to go through the video interviews sent by the scriptwriter Nath. She was able to catch on the way of speaking, movement and all other learning of characterisation that she could from the video. Then, shooting at the location, in Sundarban, also proved to be a contributing factor in how she let Parboti take control of her in scenes.

Moreover, OTT shows have given her more opportunities in terms of work. "It is a great opportunity to explore me and my acting capacity. It is brownie points for me. Living in different characters and for a short period," she says.

The Beginning Of Her Journey As Actor

She started acting young. Ray used to be part of a theatre group as a kid and has the same passion for acting, but at the time she was unaware that this side hobby will turn into a profession.

"I was always attracted to someone who was performing, and this happened whenever I used to go to the cinema hall or theatre. When he or she is performing something and everybody is looking at the artist, 'I like this place and I want to be there' I used to think. I had always imagined myself performing, whether it be on stage or on screen," she says.

After school, Ray did her graduation in History. It was always acting for her but when asked if not acting, what would have been into, she laughed and said, "Research-related projects, maybe."

According to Ray, her journey was smooth but she does not know what the future entails. "It is not like struggle means that you have to audition for projects or keep trying or not have support from your family etc. The struggle is something else also. After Sunderbaner Vidyasagar I have my own struggle of waiting for something which is bigger than this character and what will be my next project. Struggles can be mental too," she says.

After working in serials for a long time, getting into web series was like taking the leap of fate for her. "I had to make people believe that apart from TV serials I can do something else too," she says.

Ray finds support from her first producer, Snigdha Basu. "She is a mentor, an inspiration for me," says Ray.

What Is Worst Than Trolls?

Ray shares that she has been asked if her parents approve of her sharing pictures in Bikini on social media. Her answer is simple,  "My parents told me that whatever you like to do, you should present it aesthetically. While someone is looking at your picture, it should not look vulgar."

"After doing television serials for three to four years where I always appeared in saree. When I started posting pictures in bikinis or in shorts. They were like how can she, she used to appear in sarees and now this? What is going on? How did she change herself? I do not understand if this is a point to discuss or is it an article to post, I seriously don’t know," she signs off.

(Feature Image Credit: Hoichoi)