The eight cast members of debutant director Arindam Nandy’s Via Darjeeling are all tight-lipped about their Friday release. The Hindi-English thriller is a jigsaw puzzle that begins in Darjeeling and ends in Calcutta. But does every piece fall into place? Hear it from the actors...

Prroshant Narayannan

What I play: Kaushik, a filmmaker who is brash and likes to do things his way. Kaushik works on a very radical level, which he is actually not supposed to do.

I bonded best with:

Vinay, Rajat and Sandy (Sandhya Mridul). All of us are good friends and we would joke and play pranks all the time. I also bonded well with Parvin, Kay Kay and Sonali but then with them I just shot for a day. With the rest, I shot for four-five days at Bharat Lakshmi Studio, which was fun.... I like shooting in Calcutta. I had also shot here for Shadows Of Time. But there are a couple of women that I really wanted to bond with. They are not among the cast though. But I don’t think it will be wise to reveal their names now! (Chuckles)

The most interesting character: I think has gone to Arindam Sil. I didn’t realise that while shooting but when I saw the film I thought he played the most interesting role. Arindam plays a hotel manager who knows everything; he knows exactly what is happening, which the rest of the characters don’t.

Parvin Dabas

What I play: Bonny. He is Rimli’s (Sonali) ex-lover. There’s a lot of mystery to the character.

I bonded best with: Sonali, with whom I had worked in Sirf. So I was comfortable working with her. I also knew Vinay, Rajat and Simone, so things were easier while shooting. It’s important to maintain a friendly atmosphere on the sets.

The most interesting character: My god! This is a difficult question. I would say mine is the most interesting character. That’s the reason why I took up the role. There’s a lot of mystery in Bonny. No one is sure about what he is up to. This is a different character because I have never done anything like this before. But I would also say that each character in the film has pushed the boundaries. Performance and cinematography are the USPs of Via Darjeeling.

Rajat Kapoor and Simone Singh

He’s Ronodip, a newspaper editor. She’s Priti, Ronodip’s wife. The couple hosts an adda in their Calcutta house one evening where most of the other characters come together and try to crack the mystery behind Kay Kay’s vanishing act during his honeymoon with Sonali.

Directorspeak: “Rajat fit the role of a journo, while Simone was perfect for Priti’s role. Besides, I was sure about their acting capabilities.”

Sandhya Mridul

What I play: Mallika; she is an actress. She is a dark character with lots of shades. She is a very forthright person and, like the rest, has come for an adda at Ronodip (Rajat) and Priti’s (Simone) place. She hates all those present at the party.

I bonded best with: Prroshant and Kay Kay. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t bond with the rest. But Prroshant and Kay Kay are my real-life friends too.

The most interesting character: Is Kay Kay’s and also the one I play. Ankur (Kay Kay) and Mallika have the maximum shades and twists. I loved playing Mallika.

Vinay Pathak

What I play: Robin Dutt, a cop who is in the middle of many interesting and mysterious things.

I bonded best with: Everybody. All are friends. I have known Rajat for a long time and we are friends. Sandhya is a buddy. We have done a couple of TV shows together. With Simone, too, I had done some episodes of a TV serial. Prroshant and I had done theatre together. So I knew all of them. We were like a family on the sets.

The most interesting character: Is I would say the one I play. It’s the most interesting role, that’s why I picked it! On second thoughts, I think even Parvin’s is an interesting role. His character has got lots of grey shades.

Sonali Kulkarni

What I play: Rimli, and I have fallen in love with the name. Rimli is married to Ankur (Kay Kay). The two go to Darjeeling on their honeymoon.... Rimli is a character I really enjoyed playing, any actress would. The character has lots of shades and variety. She is full of surprises. Via Darjeeling is a thriller and beyond this I should not reveal anything.

I bonded best with: My producers Somu (Soumyo Ganguly) and Joy (Ganguly) and the executive producer Arindam Sil. I also bonded with my make-up man and hairdresser! (Laughs) No, we were a bundle of friends and we all bonded so well. Me, Kay Kay, Vinay, Parvin — we used to have lots of fun together. We used to eat, drink and party together.

The most interesting character: Is of course Rimli. One of the reasons is because I play Rimli! Jokes apart, seriously, Rimli is a very difficult and challenging role. I had a lot of discussions about it with Arindam (Nandy) and the cinematographer Abhik (Mukherjee). They gave me a lot of inputs. I am very happy to be a part of Via Darjeeling. It’s a very stylised film.

Kay Kay Menon

He is Ankur, a marketing manager of a Calcutta-based company. He is married to Rimli (Sonali). Ankur goes missing while honeymooning in Darjeeling.

Directorspeak: “I had some faces in mind while writing the script. Kay Kay’s face matched Ankur’s.”

(Which character do you like most? Tell t2@abpmail.com)