In the world of performance, 16 years can feel like a lifetime. For Debopriyo Mukherjee, those years were marked by an unspoken wait — a quiet pursuit of that elusive moment when a character is entrusted fully, without hesitation or caveat. That moment finally arrived when the role of Kamruzzaman Sarkar, the now-talked-about “Chainman” of Zee5’s anthology Ganoshotru, was handed to him.
Even before the script was opened, extensive research had begun. “The more I explored Sarkar’s world, the more unsettling the figure became. The character had been sculpted by abandonment, poverty, humiliation — a life formed in the shadows. But what emerged most disturbingly was not violence, but gentleness. He was described as quiet, soft-spoken, and polite. Not a monster. Not a villain archetype. Just a man whose storm was internal,” said Debopriyo.
The creative process shifted immediately. Instead of performance, absorption became the method. External theatrics were eliminated; stillness was chosen as the primary expressive tool. Silence became the dialogue.
Vanishing to Be Seen
The script captured only the days leading up to the killing spree. With so much of the character’s history left unsaid, the challenge became how to portray a lifetime of pain through a man who barely speaks.
“The script didn’t cover his entire life — only the days leading up to the killing spree. So the question became: how do you show a lifetime of pain through a man who barely speaks? Abhirup (director) and I decided the answer lay not in making him expressive, but in making the audience feel like they were intruding into his interior world,” said Debopriyo.
During one blocking session, the crew witnessed an instinctive shift: a hunched posture, lowered gaze, barely audible voice.
“It’s like he disappears into the room,” someone whispered on set. “That’s when we knew the portrayal had found its core,” said Debopriyo.
A Journal of Darkness
Before every shot, journaling was done — not actions, but memories, thoughts, fears. These writings served as emotional triggers, allowing the performance to be rooted in interiority rather than external expression. “It wasn’t comfortable. But it was clear the process had freed me. I wasn’t chasing outcomes anymore. Only truth,” he said.
The team adjusted accordingly. The rhythm of the set slowed, quietened, and aligned with the stillness of the performance. Showrunner Srimanta Senguptta placed great value on this process. “Every night after pack-up, on our drive back, he’d say only one sentence. You’re in the right space, keep exploring! No notes, no corrections, just faith. And faith is fuel.”
Finding Voice in a Dialect
Another layer of complexity was the dialect. Chainman belonged to a distinct socio-cultural background, and a balance had to be found between authenticity and accessibility. “Abhirup trusted me to find a balance — that intersection of realism and rhythm. The subtle humour in the writing helped too; not comedy, but the absurdity of a man who wants to be feared but isn’t taken seriously by anyone — including fate,” said Debopriyo.
Upon release, an unexpected wave of responses emerged: reviews, messages, articles, social-media tags. Viewers connected not with loudness, but with humanity. One person wrote, ‘You made me afraid of wearing red’. Filmmaker Mainak Bhaumik observed in his review that every gaze looks loaded!
“But the truth is — the praise is not the reward, the work is. What mattered to me was being trusted to dive deep. To be allowed to explore without interference,” said Debopriyo.
For years, performances had been poured into projects that vanished without resonance. This time, the pattern shifted. “Abhirup Ghosh took a risk. Srimantada guided quietly. Zee5 backed a performance-driven casting choice. And I showed up with nothing but truth.”
Hope Turned Into Belief
Actors often survive on hope — hope of being seen, hope that craft matters, hope that the work lands somewhere. With Chainman, that hope transformed into belief. “Whether this becomes the beginning of something or remains a rare anomaly, only time will tell. But one thing is certain: belief changes everything.”