Way back in 2009, Byomkesh Bakshi and I met. With no other franchise in the country (barring Feluda), we both pledged that it would be a long affair. When our first financier ditched us, overnight and over a couple of drinks at Lake Club, Kaustuv Ray decided to fund us. Since then I had, with each film, got know this enigmatic Byomkesh Bakshi a little more. I discovered Byomkesh’s ideological humanity and gave Abir Chatterjee a scene where he convinces a politically confused Makaranda (Shuvra Saurabh) to denounce the politics of violence. I discovered Byomkesh’s vulnerability in Kahen Kobi Kalidas. I realised that Byomkesh can make mistakes and got Jisshu Sengupta seriously injured so that Ajit, his partner (played by Saswata Chatterjee), can be made actually functional till Byomkesh returns with a bang. This quality of the hero losing and then regaining makes him a real hero. Now it’s time for Byomkesh O Chiriakhana, which releases on October 7. 

Uttam Kumar excelled in Chiriakhana

It’s been 49 years since the release of Satyajit Ray’s Chiriakhana with Uttam Kumar in the lead role. Though it has never been regarded as one of Ray’s best, I have really liked Chiriakhana for numerous reasons. I even believe Uttam Kumar excelled. But having known Byomkesh Bakshi so closely, I started by questioning certain basic logic of his deduction and also his mistakes. 

A loophole and a change

Those of you who have read or seen Ray’s Chiriakhana will know that one of the inmates of Golap Colony is mute. Byomkesh Bakshi senses that he knows the truth. What should have a thinking detective done? Brought this inmate home and asked him to write, right? Byomkesh fails to do that. The inmate dies trying to communicate through a letter to Byomkesh. Now what happens to this man who actually could have saved him and got the truth? He would be furious, helpless, desperate. He would definitely not be the suave, sharp, charismatic Uttam Kumar all through. He would, at a point, lose his quiet intensity, be angry at himself, at Ajit, sulk, become erratic, lash out randomly at suspects… finally become the cool, suave Byomkesh we all know in the climax. Therefore my only suggestion to Jisshu was to be far more human. This, to my mind, Jisshu executes with aplomb.

Cool with inevitable comparison

All three of us — Jisshu, Saswata Chatterjee and myself — realised that we would be up against serious comparisons with Ray and Uttam Kumar. No matter how desperately we claim that Ray was a “master working with a superstar”, one cannot ignore comparisons. So we all decided to try and build our own graph of suspense, intrigue, make Byomkesh far more edgy, rigidly stick to the text where Ray had altered, specially the climax, and add to the layer of repressed sexuality which is inherent in all the suspects. So that finally you get a different version, which may not be better but has its own strength. 

Unique premise, brutal murders

Chiriakhana is perhaps one of the best in Sharadindu Bandopadhyay’s collection in terms of characters and suspense. The very premise is extremely unique and murders are more brutal. 

Ray had cast some popular negative role players to perform the array of highly dark characters. I have banked on a bunch of extremely talented performers, not stars. Finally, it’s the performance that matters. I have repeated many like Priyanka, Ankita, Shantilal Mukherjee, Sagnik and Shuvra Saurabh… along with some other very talented actors like Dulal Lahiri, Neel Mukhopadhyay, Kanchan Mullick, Mrinal Mukherjee, Sohini, Kanchana, Riju. But they all have been cast against their usual grain. I had used this method in the earlier Byomkesh, the reason being once the actors are clued into the franchise, they know and grow with each film and become one big ensemble who interact and depend on each other like in the theatre. 

The cast

All directors worth their salt work with a certain ensemble. I see an Ingmar Bergman film to also see Gunnar Bjornstrand or Bibi Andersson. Or a Coen Brothers’ for John Turturro, John Goodman. A Quentin Tarantino for Samuel L. Jackson or Michael Madsen. Satyajit Ray for Rabi Ghosh, Kamu Banerjee, Shyamal Ghoshal… I see them for these highly interesting supporting cast irrespective of who the heroes are. I have, in my own way, tried to build this bonding and chemistry which you can actually see on screen. My only pride in life is that I can smell good actors. And this time, I myself have joined the band. How and in which role should remain a surprise…

Agatha Christie vs Lee Child

I have asked myself, why is it that most of you like our Byomkesh, and that too from an otherwise Anglicised guy like me. Can I try and answer that? You like it for the same reason you will pick up an old Agatha Christie and not Lee Child on a train journey sometimes. You like it because my Byomkesh does not flaunt digital style or scale or stars. That it is deliberately not flashy. It’s good old-fashioned detective narrative which we all long for now and then no matter how old we are. No matter how smarter your smart phones become.

Tea and cigarettes to fire the imagination

Along our long journey, Byomkesh Bakshi has always whispered in my ears, “Hey, I’m cool. I’m sharp. But this is not Nick Carter or James Hadley Chase. I am a crackshot. But I do not show off with my gun brother. I talk. I know exactly what your next move will be but I don’t have to be flashy. You want me to drink a shot of whisky, I’ll oblige, but I still prefer numerous cups of tea and cigarettes when I’m thinking. I often wear trousers when I am in disguise but I love my dhoti. Don’t ever run around with your camera after me. Just keep it steady and let me do the talking and walking…”

Enter Koknad

In our last Byomkesh, we ended with the telephone from Nishanath Sen. The audience knew that Chiriakhana is coming. This time Byomkesh’s arch-enemy makes a brief entry midway into the film and then in the epilogue. Now, it cannot be just a trick to tell the audience that Koknad is coming and the next Byomkesh will tilt towards the action zone. I had to integrate his coming into Chiriakhana. So here, Koknad actually, in a convoluted way, helps Byomkesh crack the identity of the killer in Chiriakhana.

The entire cast, having become a family, vehemently argued on this issue. But once the technical team assured them that this structural change will not hamper but rather heighten the old-fashioned crime thriller zone which we have stuck to for years, I got more votes. In the process, a lot of things changed subtly. Indranil Mukherjee, my cinematographer, increased the noir element. Arghya Kamal Mitra, our editor, decided to make the pace snappier. 

After seeing the first cut, Neel Dutt, the music director, decided to modernise the background score. The same background became more edgy, tilted more towards jazz at times. And it all fell into place. On the face of it, it’s the same Byomkesh you wait for, only this time it’s more 

layered and perhaps more chilling, witty and human. Thereby more truly Bengali.

So, those of you who watch our Byomkesh to seep into the nostalgia of murder mysteries during the Puja season can be assured that your good old-fashioned Byomkesh Bakshi is getting better.