'Ganoshotru's Trailakya Tarini story should be adapted into a movie': Paoli Dam | Exclusive

Paoli Dam is known for her ability to portray strong and complex characters. She is an Indian actress who works particularly in Bengali and Hindi films. Recently, she was seen in ZEE5's (OTTplay Premium) Bengali anthology series, Ganoshotru. The series has 5 episodes, and each depicts real-life crime stories in the history of Bengal. One of the episodes starred Paoli as Trailakya Tarini, who was the first female serial killer of India. Following the OTT release, Paoli had an exclusive interview with OTTplay, where she discussed her character, which belonged to the 18th century, and hoped that Trailakya Tarini's story would be adapted into a movie someday.

Paoli Dam's interview excerpts

Paoli Dam on Trailakya Tarini

"Trailakya Tarini is a character I have always wanted to do for the last 3 - 4 years. I researched about her, and there were a lot of people who wanted to do Trailakya, even directors, but somehow nobody could actually make it. Somehow, it could not happen. Trailakya is, of course, a dark and complex character, and I have always been intrigued by into complex and multi-layered character.

In Bengal, we don't explore much dark content when it comes to OTT, which we get to see in international space. I think Ganoshotru is one of its kind, and people are loving it. Because of different OTT platforms, they are used to watching different content in different languages, which is happening across the globe. This is a character from the 18th century who was a con artist because she suffered a lot. She was marginalised, victimised, and that is why she wanted to take revenge on life because she did not get the blessings of any good person in her life from whom she could lead a different life. She became a widow at a very young age, and she was sold off to the red light area of Bengal, Sonagachi. At that point in time, the 18th century, when she existed, Noti Binodini also existed, but Binodini got the support of Girish Ghosh and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, which Trailakya did not have. So, Trailakya thought, let me take the revenge on my way, if I was cheated, then I should do the same. So this psychological space we wanted to explore, and all the characters in the five episodes, is the perspective from the main character," Paoli Dam said. 

Paoli Dam on Trailakya Tarini should be adapted into a movie

"So when I got a call from my producer, I was so happy and like 'oh my god, Trailakya has come to me eventually.' At the same time I told them about my concerns. There is so much to talk about her, tell about her. How will it be possible in just 42 - 45 minutes thing," she said. 

When asked whether it should be a movie or not, Paoli cheerfully said, "Of course. Please. Bangla ZEE5 or national ZEE5 should do it. This is just the beginning and hopefully we get to do Trailakya in a much bigger canvas." She also said that Trailakya's story should be adapted into a movie and wanted to play the role in the film as well. 

Also Read: Ganoshotru Series Review: A masterful portrayal of five true crime incidents

Paoli Dam on preparation for 18th century Trailakya Tarini

"I read and learned about her for the last 3 - 4 years, post-pandemic, actually. From then, I actually wanted to do the character. The only 18th-century character I did was Binodini from Bulbbul. For Trailakya, the nuances that I kept during the 42-minute duration episode, one sees as a power of she operates. We could not explore much of her when she spends time, Sonagachi days, the red light area days. So much to do and talk about her. In that duration, whatever we are showing her, already in power, already doing the business she does, so I tried using the expression differently." 

Catch Ganoshotru on ZEE5 and OTTplay Premium!

FAQs

Q: When and where to watch Ganoshotru?

A: Ganoshotru is streaming on ZEE5 and OTTplay Premium.

Q: Who are the actors in Ganoshotru?

A: Ganoshotru stars Paoli Dam, Rudranil Ghosh, Subrata Dutta, Ayush Das, Deborpiyo Mukherjee.