‘Cha Gorom’: A freshly brewed dose of Safa Kabir’s prowess

“Cha Gorom” doesn’t have a traditional romance. It’s not rife with action, suspense or drama – it almost completely relies on director Shankha Dasgupta’s layered storytelling and the charm of lead actress Safa Kabir. Despite that, the Chorki film has amassed quite the adoration of the audience.

Set in the tea gardens of Sylhet, it intelligently tells of the woes of the marginalised tea labourers of Bangladesh, who still operate under colonial-era oppression and remuneration. It seemed pretty obvious that this was no ordinary venture for Safa Kabir, as the actress is well over a decade into her on-screen career. The opportunity cost was huge. “If I’m being honest, I could have done 10 traditional YouTube fictions by the time I prepared and shot for ‘Cha Gorom’,” she said over the phone, audibly relieved at the return her efforts got her. Since there are over 167 tea estates in the country, the production worked closely with Oxfam in Bangladesh with support from the European Union to ensure the portrayal of these marginalised communities was both.

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“It was a process of about two months – getting acclimated with my role. I needed to get used to the specifics of becoming a doctor, how a stethoscope works, and how to correctly measure the blood pressure of patients.”

The preparations bore fruition. Not only did she look convincing as an MBBS doctor, but her subtle expressions and bewilderment at the simple demands and misgivings of a tea labourer didn’t feel choreographed. Instead, they seemed to come from a place of genuine intuition.

According to the actress, the gaps in dialogue were just as tricky as the parts with dialogue. “There was a lot to say not just with words, but subtle expressions – the dilemma of staying at a place with no network versus wanting to help an entire marginalised community do better. It was a rift between whether I wanted to go back to my old, comfortable life, or if I wanted to help a talented girl achieve her dreams.”

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The memorable performance comes after a self-imposed break by the actress herself. “After “Tickit”, I took a little break. I was giving myself time to reconsider what kind of projects I wanted to do. Luckily, ‘Cha Gorom’ came to me at just the right time.”

Over the years, Safa has starred in the likes of “Boli”, “Nishwas”, “Kuhelika”, effectively shedding her typecasted image as the ‘girl next door’. “I had done so many television projects at a point, that each script seemed like a continuation of the previous one,” she said, pointing out the reason behind her becoming so selective. Indeed, the actress has notably moved to more character-driven, out-of-the-box roles that few others would conceive to be befitting of a ‘heroine.’

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What’s next for Safa? “I guess we’ll have to see. I want to do more work like ‘Cha Gorom’ – that’s for sure, especially on the OTT space.”