Actor Raunak Dey Bhowmick will soon be making his OTT and film debut

Raunak Dey Bhowmick is a name almost anyone acquainted with Bengali TV soaps, can resonate with. The actor, who ventured into the industry quite young and then quit it in 2015 to pursue higher studies, only to be back with bigger projects, is prepping for his OTT debut. The web series addresses serious issues like ragging and features Swastika Mukherjee in the lead role.
Talking about how the break helped him further hone his skills as an actor, Raunak says, “I was at the peak of my career as a child actor when I decided to take a break for my higher studies in 2015. A lot of my seniors and colleagues encouraged me to not lose momentum. However, my priorities were different back then and I wanted to focus on my 10+2 years more. It was only when I returned to Kolkata during the pandemic and decided to get back to acting, that I realised it is my true calling. Three years later, I am in love with the craft,” says Raunak.
Having worked extensively in the television industry, and now waiting for his OTT and film debut, Raunak has not observed any particular differences between the platforms. “Unlike the stark difference between stage and screen acting, acting on TV, OTT and films hardly can be distinguished. But TV soaps in general have a typical pattern of presenting the story in a dramatic way, with dramatic scripts and BGM.”
When choosing a script for TV or any other medium, a few things that he tries to adhere to are the pitch and pattern of the story, the director’s vision that guides his thoughts, characterisation and scope of performance. Now that he is set to debut in OTT with Bijoya, he says, “I feel the show has been made with utmost care and dedication by Sayantan Ghosh and his team. I am an engineer and have spent a few years in the hostel set up, hence I can relate to the story. Swastika di is extremely involved with her art, and to see her plan her act before every shot, her dedication, is extremely inspiring. It was lovely sharing screen space with her.”
Quoting an interview by actor Fahad Fasil, Raunak adds, “I tried forming an idea about the character in my head by repeatedly reading the lines in the script. A huge part of my preparation and performance was complemented by my co actors, and vice versa.”
Remembering times when he had to go through trying situations, after joining the regional industry, he says, “I have faced situations where people may have passed comments out of their own insecurity or have created a tense environment by unnecessarily bullying juniors. However, I was lucky to not have faced any sort of ragging in my school and college days.”
The actor will also be soon seen making his film debut and is grateful to the people who have given him opportunities as such. “I am also humbled to be able to work in all mediums, with teams that value mutual respect.”