Auritra Ghosh has worked in different mediums like television, web and films and despite being very active as an actor, she continues to find ways to take her passion towards dance forward. In this interview, she talks about the new season of ‘A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend’, why the digital space excites her as an actor, her company Pause & Effect and future projects.
Have you been a part of all the seasons of the ‘A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend’?
No, my character was murdered in season one, therefore I was not there in season 2. I played Kriti Khanna who was the protagonist’s love interest. My character is completely different this season. The big plot reveal in this season is about my character and thus, I cannot share much about my character at the moment.
How, do you think, the show has evolved in these three seasons?
Being a sci-fi show, the show has to constantly evolve. You have to completely reinvent the plot as technology is constantly evolving. When season one came out, there were hardly any web shows. It was the first show to be produced by Arre. The big giants like Netflix have come to India. In terms of plot, the writers have made sure that it gets bigger. Love was the core theme in season one. Season two and three are completely different. Season three poses a lot of important questions to the audience like how much of technology is good.
I had last interviewed you for your film ‘M Cream’ which released two years back. Do you think, with digital space becoming so big, it is easier for independent films to reach out to the audience?
I do feel films like ‘M Cream’ have a bigger reach on digital than in theatres. There are a lot of factors like getting the right distribution channel. Independent films always need a little push and digital is a very good platform for them. ‘M Cream’ is now on Netflix India and a lot of people have watched it there.
You had also done a TV film called ‘Shaadi Vaadi And All That’ for MTV a few years back.
Yes, MTV had made a bunch of films to be showcased on their channel. Big film directors were associated with these projects. ‘Shaadi Vaadi And All That’ was produced by Nikkhil Advani. Nikkhil Advani was the mentor and it was written and directed by his assistant Kaashvi Nair.
Are you happy with the way your career has shaped up?
Things are still shaping up. When I started acting, I was doing theatre. I started off as a dancer actually. I have been a professional dancer. I have done some feature films like ‘Love Breakups Zindagi and ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’. Now, because of the web there is so much content. I did another sci-fi series for SonyLIV. I am very excited as an actor because of the digital revolution.
You seem to be doing a lot of work on it too.
Yes, the digital space is very exciting. People are trying to create new and interesting stories. I have never really done TV. I have done a telly film. Films are a very exiting medium as you get a lot of time to prepare and you get into the skin of your character. I have not got a lot of time to prepare for the shows I have done I did on web. I just had a month to prepare for this show. It actually depends on the size of the production. The exciting part about web is that you can do more work, like two or three shows in a year.
How long did it take to shoot the entire season?
It took us about a month. For the kind of budget we were operating on, it is great what we have been able to achieve.
You have a company called Pause & Effect.
I would not call it a company because I have not been able to put in a lot of time in it yet. Because of my background in dance and yoga, I thought of starting this small initiative where we organise awareness programmes around yoga, meditation, dance and everything to do with health and yoga.
What are you doing next?
I am doing a show for SonyLIV called Holy Cross. It is a science fiction show. It is primarily a drama but the story revolves around the concept of a parallel universe. I play a surgical intern. I have shot for an international series called ‘Good Karma Hospital’. I play a patient in the show. It will be telecast on ITV in the UK. The show is in its third season now. Apart from the international cast, there are Indian actors like Shabana Azmi, Mithila Palkar, Rajit Kapur. It is going to come out later this year or early 2020. Last year, I shot for two independent films ‘Wingman’ and ‘Chitrakoot’. The latter has made round of different film festivals and will hopefully, release soon in India.