Shwetkali

Shwetkali is a 2023 Bengali psychological mystery thriller web series.^[1] Created and directed by Sani Ghosh Ray, the series marks the OTT debut of Oindrilla Sen.^[2][3] Sourav Chakraborty, Saheb Bhattacharya, Arindam Ganguly, Debdut Ghosh, Devlina Kumar, Samadarshi Dutta, Swagata Basu and Rishi Koushik play other pivotal roles.^[4] Produced by Acropoliis Entertainment, the series was streamed on ZEE5 on 24 February 2023 to positive reviews from the audience and critics alike.^[5]

Shwetkali
Promotional poster for Shwetkali
Genre	Thriller
Created by	Sani Ghose Ray
Written by	Sani Ghose Ray
Directed by	Sani Ghose Ray
Starring	Oindrila Sen Saheb Bhattacharya Sourav Chakraborty
Music by	Pralay Saha
Country of origin	India
Original language	Bengali
No. of episodes	8
Production
Producers	Snigdha Basu Sani Ghosh Ray
Editor	Subhadeep Das
Production company	Acropoliis Entertainment
Original release
Network	ZEE5
Release	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)

Plot

Shwetkali follows the story of Urvi and Palash and their families after the reach the Kharapani Mansion to celebrate their engagement. In middle of the celebrations, a wall in the mansion breaks down revealing a hidden statue of white Kali, also referred to as Shwet Kali. Following this a number of incident unravel that hark back to a dark past and how they have an implication on the present.^[6]

Cast

• Oindrilla Sen as Urvi
• Sourav Chakraborty as Arunabha
• Saheb Bhattacharya as Palash
• Arindam Ganguly as Mahitosh
• Debdut Ghosh as Priyotosh
• Devlina Kumar as Annie
• Samadarshi Dutta as Shimul
• Swagata Basu as Shikha
• Rishi Kaushik as Narendra Pratap
• Ratan Sarkhel as Balaram Purohit
• Ranit Modok as Bablu
• Saswati Mazumdar as Tanima
• Prantik Banerjee as Debnath
• Mantra Bose as Nayantara
• Lokinath Dey as Police Officer
• Mallika Sinha Roy as Madhumita
• Koushiki as Avayananda
• Sunny as Bonnie
• Rana Basu Thakur as Supriyo
• Chiradip Mitra as Manager
• Biswanath Das as Gangacharan
• Debashri Roy as Kanan
• Anwesha as Pushpa
• Tony Bose as Kashi
• Tirtha Chatterjee as Jharna
• Santanu Ghosh as Constable Das
• Subrata Barik as Dr. Gora
• Pritam Chanda as Nathu

Production

Announcement

The show was announced as a part its future slate of Bengali shows by ZEE5 on 12 December 2022.^[7]

Marketing and release

The trailer of Shwetkali was released on 12 February 2023.^[8] The series was streamed on Zee5 on 23 February 2023.^[9]

Episodes

Season 1

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Is The Rajbari Haunted?"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
2	"The Curse of Kali"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
3	"Who Killed Gogol?"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
4	"The Mysterious Shadow"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
5	"The Bloodthirsty Shwetkali"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
6	"The Diary of Narendrapratap"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
7	"The Impotent Zamindar"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
8	"Case Closed?"	Sani Ghose Ray	Sani Ghose Ray	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)

Reception

Critical reception

Shamayita Chakraborty of OTTplay rated the film 3.5/5 stars and opined "Shwetkali is a chilling thriller and is made with care. The maker takes great care in building the suspense. Another positive side of the show is its smart dialogue. They are precise and to the point. It doesn’t go over the top." She praised the acting of most of the cast as well as the introductory scenes of the murders but bemoaned the unclarity at certain points, the dialogue heavy climax and some repetitions during the scenes of ancient times.^[10]

Sequel

In 2023, ZEE5 announced that a sequel to "Shwetkali" will be made and streamed.^[11] Primary conversations were underway as of 2023.^[12]