Women are still labelled for being mothers or married: Subhashree

If there’s one actress in Bengali cinema who has owned 2025 with back-to-back hits, it has to be Subhashree Ganguly. She started the year with ‘Grihapravesh’, where her portrayal of the gentle, layered Titli won hearts all around. Then came ‘Dhumketu’, a decade-old film that finally saw the light of day and brought the much-loved Dev-Subhashree pair back on screen.

Now she’s making noise with the web series ‘Anusandhan’, where she is playing an investigative journalist and digging into a string of mysterious pregnancies inside a women-only jail. She’s set to wrap up the year with ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Re’, where she transforms into Nati Binodini into a grand period drama. Her career graph is enviable, but Subhashree is quick to remind you that ‘everything is temporary’. What lasts, she says, is ‘the love of family, children and fans’.

Before we sit down for a chat, she laughs while sharing how her toddler daughter, Yalini, is currently obsessed with trying to walk around in her mother’s heels. From collaborating with a woman director, Aditi Roy, for the first time in ‘Anusandhan’ to her exciting line-up ahead, Subhashree opens up to ‘Millennium Post’ about films, family and finding her balance.

You play an investigative journalist in ‘Anusandhan’, Aditi Roy’s psychological crime thriller. How exciting was the journey?

When we play a character, it always comes with a background. But my primary homework begins with the director. I have to understand how the director wants to present the character in the story. If I go beyond that and over-research, I might not stay on the same page with the director and that creates chaos. So, I don’t overdo it. Before I start my preparation, I try to understand the director’s psychology because filmmaking is the director’s medium.

For the first time in your career, you worked with a female director. How was it collaborating with Aditi Roy?

I was really proud that the captain of the ship was a woman. Recently, everyone has been calling me a feminist. Well, yes, I am one and I’m proud of it. I wouldn’t say I felt anything ‘different’ while working with a female director compared to a male one, but I did have better communication with her. There were several physically demanding scenes and she understood instinctively where I might face challenges.

After childbirth, did you become more conscious about your work choices?

(Cuts in) After becoming a mother, your purpose in life changes. As parents, we want to do something that makes our children proud. From that perspective, whatever I do now, I do it for them so that they feel secure and proud of me. I recently had an experience with the ‘Waiting Room’ poster. My look at the poster was quite bloody. During ‘Anusandhan’ too, I had fight sequences, but nothing compared to my look in the ‘Waiting Room’. When my son Yuvaan saw the poster during a video call, he started crying. He asked why I had tears in my eyes and I had no answer. In the future, too, I want to take on challenging roles, including action-oriented characters, but I also need to be ready to explain those portrayals to my kids when they see me in an avatar they’re not used to.

This year has been fantastic for you. ‘Grihapravesh’ did so well at the box office. ‘Dhumketu’ broke records, ‘Anusandhan’ has been released and you’ll wrap up the year with Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Re’ at Christmas. What’s your takeaway from 2025?

I’ve always counted my blessings. Even from the bad times, I’ve learned what not to do. I’m grateful for all the work I’ve received and for the love audiences have shown for every project, starting with ‘Grihapravesh’. Honestly, no one believed in that film except us. But word of mouth worked wonders and people loved it. ‘Dhumketu’ was an old film and I was initially hesitant about my performance, but the response was lovely. ‘Anusandhan’ has a gripping subject and I’m sure audiences will enjoy it. And now, everyone’s excited about ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Re’.

You’ve also turned producer for Raj Chakraborty’s upcoming projects, including his Hindi OTT debut ‘Ziddi Ishq’ and ‘Hok Kolorob’. When will we see you act in one of his films?

(Laughs) I keep telling him to make a film with me, but he’s so busy! He’s tied up with his own projects right now. But yes, I keep reminding him!

Mamma Mia

Kareena Kapoor once said she explained to her son Jeh that the paparazzi take photos because she’s famous, not him. Since your kids are also exposed to the camera, do they ask questions?

They don’t understand much yet. But both Raj (Chakraborty, my husband) and I know that one day, we’ll have to answer many of their questions and we’re prepared for it. The environment at home is very important. Even outside, we don’t behave like stars. The idea of stardom has never crossed my mind, though I can never deny the love of my audience. I believe everything is temporary. I see myself as a professional, just like in any other field. At home, we’re ordinary people, and even when we meet others, we’re just ourselves. Also, the work culture in Bollywood is very different from that in Tollywood. Here, the film industry and media function more like a family and I’m sure our children will grow up to understand that.

Deepika Padukone’s demand for an eight-hour workday post motherhood sparked conversation in the industry. She said male actors have been working eight-hour shifts for years without it making news. Do you think women still face bias at work?

In the Bengali film industry, we must understand that we work within many constraints, from limited infrastructure to tight budgets and schedules. But since becoming a mother, I’ve never worked more than 12 hours and no one has ever questioned me. Everyone has been very cooperative. That said, I agree with Deepika Padukone to some extent. Women are often labelled for being mothers, for getting married or for pairing up with younger co-stars. These biases are ingrained. They’ve entered people’s thinking almost genetically. Some women, too, have internalised this, believing that there’s no solution. But I have hope. The next generation will grow up differently with a stronger belief in equality because parents like Raj and I are trying to instil that in them. Maybe that’s where the change begins.

Pic By: Gautam Bose