Aditi Roy to direct her next big screen outing in 2026

In the whirlwind world of Bengali web series, director Aditi Roy has carved out a style of her own. As a woman, she is doing what she understands and feels best, telling women’s stories of achievement, struggle and complexities. Much like her previous series, like ‘Bodhon’, ‘Lojja’ and ‘Noshtoneer’, her latest project too turns the spotlight on women, not as subjects of sympathy, but of strength and fight. In her new Bengali web series ‘Anusandhan’, starring Subhashree Ganguly as an investigative journalist, Roy delves into the world of a women’s prison and the dark web of lies, deception, corruption and crime.

“The main character is a woman, of course,” Roy said. The seed for ‘Anusandhan’, she mentioned, came from real-life observations and research rather than any single case. “There are many such incidents around the world. It’s not reported widely, but it happens - women getting pregnant in jail. That silence around such issues fascinated me. I wanted to explore it,” she added.

Though her work often centres on women and their complexities, quite naturally so, Roy is quick to acknowledge that male directors, too, can tell women’s stories with authenticity. “Directors like Kaushik Ganguly can really understand women well. His film ‘Ardhangini’ shows that connection beautifully. I don’t believe only women understand women. But yes, the physiological and social realities of being a woman, the way we are treated, the expectations placed on us, I can feel those things firsthand. I feel it is my duty to tell good stories, stories that matter,” she said.

Among the filmmakers who inspire her, Roy names Aparna Sen and Mira Nair without hesitation. She is equally excited about the new generation of women directors making their mark globally, like Anuparna Roy, who won the ‘Best Director’ award at the Venice Film Festival 2025 for ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’ and Sandhya Suri, whose ‘Santosh’ made waves for its bold narrative. Closer home, she points to the growing presence of women in Bengal’s creative industry, from Madhura Palit, who has turned to direction with ‘Ganashatru’, to Annapurna Basu with ‘Sharthopor’.

Even as Roy juggles multiple web projects, with ‘two more series in the pipeline’, her heart is set on returning to the big screen. “I will make a film next year,” she said with conviction. Her last film, ‘Abosheshey’ (2011), which also marked her directorial debut, starred Roopa Ganguly and went on to win a National Award. “Since I’m returning to the big screen after 15 years, it has to be something close to my heart,” she smiled.

Photo By: Gautam Bose