MUMBAI: For the first time, Shaheb Bhattacherjee has tried his hand at the digital space. Known for playing key roles in films like Royal Bengal Rahasya, Gorosthane Sabdhan, Khaad, and Bheetu, the actor recently worked in a web series called Dark Web. It is a Hoichoi Original web series, produced by Champion Movies and directed by Sayantan Ghosal. It stars Shaheb and Sampurna Lahiri in lead roles.

In an interview with TellyChakkar, Shaheb spoke about the reasons he said yes to the series, his co-star and director, and why normal people should never access the dark web. Here are excerpts from it.

This is your first web project. So what made you debut in digital media with a cyber-mystery?

Yes, this is my first web series. I very specifically have stuck to films for a very long time. I haven’t shifted to television or to the web content for that matter because the web content that was being created in Calcutta or is being created at this point of time somehow doesn’t interest me. I find the subjects to be little sleazy, not very content oriented. But somehow, Dark Web was one such project that was absolutely content oriented. Not only that, it had unique content, something that a lot of people who are involved with the digital platform or digital media are aware of. There is also a huge section of people who are not aware of the dark web. So, it was intriguing to be a part of a project wherein people who know about the subject would want to watch it and people who don’t know about it would definitely watch it to know what it is about. So, this was a win-win situation for me.

Tell us a bit about the plot of the story and your character in it.

I cannot tell you much about the story, but I can tell you that the dark web is something that a common person should not access without any knowledge about it. When you access the dark web, a lot of bad things can happen to you. Have you heard about the Blue Whale game, which was being played by kids? They started committing suicide after playing the game.

Yes.

So, our web series starts off with that game, which was also originated from the dark web.

Does the series mention the name of that particular game?

It mentions the game with a different name actually. It starts off with a game of that type and proceeds to how a normal family gets involved in the dark web and how they are sucked into it. So, this is basically what the plot is all about. To know how the plot proceeds, how this guy and the brother get involved, and how the family gets involved, you have to watch the series.

Social media has become an important part of our life. Being a celebrity, you too are on social media platforms and are followed by many. So, have you ever encountered any such issue on such platforms? If yes, how do you deal with it?

See, these kinds of things keep happening every now and then. There are fake profiles coming up. People are trying to abuse you on social media. Apart from being a platform, social media now also promotes you. It is also a platform for a coward to sit behind the computer and talk rubbish about you. So, we often face these kinds of things and they are mostly neglected. Ignorance is the best thing. But when things go out of hand, we have to take the help of the Cybercrime Department of Kolkata Police.

Coming back to the series, how was it to work with Sampurna Lahiri and director Sayantan Ghoshal?

I have known Sampurna for quite some time, but we had never worked together. This is my first project with her. She is a very sweet girl and a very enduring co-star. We gelled very well even behind camera. I hope that chemistry of being very good friends reflected very well on camera also. She is my love interest in the story.

And I think Sayantan is a fabulous director. The genre of films that he makes—take the examples of Jawker Dhan and Alinagarer Golokdhandha—he is very good at these kinds of thrillers. He knows what shots to take and how to portray the film.

Was Sayantan Ghoshal also a reason you said yes to the project?

I am always one person who works with new directors. I have always preferred working with new directors. Sayantan is a very promising director and a very young, talented guy. His associate director was also very young, the DOP was also very young… then Sampurna and me…all of us tried to create a fresh project with a fresh subject. I am sure you will find Dark Web unique apart from being interesting.

Web series are the current trend. Are you also hooked to the world of web series?

I have been hooked on to all kinds of web series, mostly on Netflix (laughs). Thanks to Netflix, my Tata Sky is almost out of subscription because I hardly watch TV now. I started off watching Narcos, which is one of my most favourite web series. I also liked Suits. Most people like Game of Thrones, but I am not a fan of this series.

So, after Dark Web, would you like to work in more web series?

Yes. But it has to be content driven. The genre can be anything.

What are your upcoming projects?

See, Oscar just released this month and is doing pretty well. I have two more films up for release. One is Suman Moitra’s Dear God, and the other film is Kamaleshwar Mukherjee’s Mukhomukhi.

Four episodes of season 1 of Dark Web are already streaming on Hoichoi, and four additional episodes will start streaming this Saturday.

Watch this space for more information!