Chanchal Chowdhury on Karagar: It is beyond the usual definition of a web series

After the success of the 2020 thriller Taqdeer, Chanchal Chowdhury is back again on a Hoichoi series, Karagar. In Taqdeer, he plays the character of an ice van driver, and in his next, he will be seen as a prisoner who has been behind the bars for 250 years. In a chat with OTTplay, Chanchal talked about his character and the series. 

While he says that he cannot disclose much about the character as it may become a spoiler, Chanchal said that the series has references to the historical significance of 250 years in the Indian subcontinent. “Two hundred and fifty years ago, the subcontinent used to look different. There was no separate Bangladesh and India,” he said. 

In the trailer of Karagar, we see that Chanchal Chowdhury, a prisoner, can neither talk nor hear. In sign language, he claims that he has been behind the bars for 250 years. He also asks if his punishment ever ends. He also claims that the concept of the series is unique and it is amazing that no one has thought of anything like this before. “I can confidently claim that in my 25 years of career in TV, film, web series and on stage, I have never worked in a character like this. No one has imagined content like this before. I thank Hoichoi for this web series. Usually, web series follows a certain definition. Karagar is beyond that. It has all the engaging elements of a typical web series. But conceptually, it is much bigger than the usual tropes you see,” the actor said.   

Talking about the experimental works that OTT platforms are offering, Chanchal said, “It is a good sign that so much creativity is being deployed in web content. After web series came into the picture, a lot of things are being written and created for the audience beyond TV and films. People pay for your OTT platform and hence, you will have to make something that is value for money. You will have to hold onto your audience.”