Films, Spirituality & Strength: Subhashree reflects on a defining 2025

Nothing matters more to an actress than the appreciation she receives for her work. By that measure, 2025 has been nothing short of a golden year for Bengali actress Subhashree Ganguly. The year began on a strong note with ‘Grihapravesh’, a film that not only cemented her position as one of the dependable contemporary actors in the Bengali film industry but also turned out to be a box-office winner. This was followed by ‘Dhumketu’, a decade-old film that finally saw the light of day. While Subhashree didn’t have extensive screen time in it, the frenzy around the film, especially the return of the much-loved Dev-Subhashree pairing, sent it racing past box-office expectations. She then switched gears with an OTT outing, ‘Anusandhan’, once again underlining her range as an actor.

And now, she is rounding off the year with ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Rey’, her first collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Srijit Mukherji. “Some work clicks and some don’t. But this year, everything I did was loved by the audience. That makes me feel grateful and blessed,” said Subhashree as we sat down for a chat, several days before the Messi incident. She also pointed out how 2025 saw an increase in women-led Bengali films and hopes the trend only grows stronger.

Spiritual by nature, Subhashree believes her journey into ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Rey’ was guided by divine intervention. She plays Binodini in Srijit’s interpretation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. “I got the offer for the film in 2020, when I was pregnant with Yuvaan. Later, when Srijit offered me ‘Dawsom Awbotaar’, I was pregnant with Yalini. So, when this film finally happened, I felt Lord Jagannath wanted it to happen,” she said. Shooting in front of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, she added, only strengthened that belief.

Known to be a hard taskmaster, Srijit’s reputation didn’t intimidate her. Subhashree said she came well-prepared to the set and the director ensured a supportive environment for her to stay immersed in the character. “This is one of the most challenging roles I’ve played. I portray Binodini, who performs as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on stage. And we’re talking about 19th-century theatre. That required intense rehearsals well in advance,” she said. Sohini Sengupta, she added, was a huge support, while Srijit also worked closely on the choreography for the stage performances.

On the relevance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message of universal love in today’s increasingly polarised world, Subhashree is clear in her thoughts. “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached peace and social harmony. If even five people follow his teachings after watching our film, then we’ve done our job,” she said. As the conversation turned to the growing intersection of religion and politics, she stressed the importance of basic education in shaping independent thought.

“Religion in politics isn’t new. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu introduced ‘harir loot’, the joyful distribution of ‘batasha’ during ‘kirtan’, to promote spiritual equality and collective celebration,” said Subhashree, who didn’t watch Rukmini Maitra-starrer ‘Binodini: Ekti Natir Upakhyan’, released earlier this year. But she admitted that she saw a few clippings of the film.

Recently, Subhashree and her husband, director Raj Chakraborty, marked their daughter Yalini’s second birthday with a ‘kirtan’ and ‘Pushya Abhishekh’. The gesture, however, invited trolling, with some suggesting it was done to align with her role in ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Rey’. Unfazed, Subhashree brushed off the criticism. “I did the same for both my children till they turned two. I won’t give up our spiritual practices because of trolls. I organised ‘kirtan’ and ‘Pushya Abhishekh’ for Yuvaan too. At that age, children don’t understand birthday parties anyway. I wanted to thank the Lord who blessed me with my babies,” she said.

Subhashree has recently wrapped up ‘Waiting Room’ with Kaushik Ganguly and is currently reading multiple scripts. Alongside acting, she remains involved as a producer as well. Raj has already completed two projects, ‘Hok Kolorob’ and ‘Abar Proloy Season 2’, keeping the couple busy on both creative fronts as the year draws to a close.