A childhood “nostalgia and the deja vu feeling” of being around this man called Pradosh Chandra Mitter is here. Team Feluda Pherot — director Srijit Mukherji, Tota Roy Choudhury (Feluda), Anirban Chakrabarti (Jatayu) and Kalpan Mitra (Topshe) — got together at Aqua, The Park, to talk about the Feluda universe as Chhinnomostar Obhishap streams on Addatimes. A chat....

It is a passion project for all of you. Going into it, did it ever get intimidating?

Srijit: No. I have utmost regard for legacy and history and I feel that should inspire and not intimidate. For me, it started from Autograph, where I was paying a tribute to two icons (Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar). It could have been intimidating in its own way but I never thought about it. Later each and every project had some sort of legacy attached to it but it was never a conscious decision to take on or challenge anything. It was about finding my own position in the universe as a storyteller. In fact, a legacy helps at times. Today I can look at what Satyajit Ray did with Feluda or what Sandip Ray did with Feluda. How Sabyasachi Chakrabarty played Feluda or how Santosh Dutta played Jatayu.

Tota: What is an actor’s duty? You are an instrument to fulfil the director’s vision. I just did that. There was no intimidation as such. I just had one initial apprehension... that I don’t fall short of my director’s expectations. It took me around two days to gauge exactly what he wanted, and from then on I got the gist of what he wanted.

Anirban: I got a lot of positive feedback on social media when it was announced that I’ll be playing Jatayu. And the shooting process was extremely joyful, vibrant.

Srijit: For the casting, I followed Satyajit Ray’s illustrations. For example, casting Kharaj Mukherjee as Maganlal Meghraj, someone who is stocky, short. My Bible was Ray’s stories and illustrations. See, if I don’t like a certain series or a detective franchise, I don’t watch it. But I don’t get militant about it. It holds true for Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. I like the Elementary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes but not the Guy Ritchie one to that extent. But that franchise is more successful than Elementary. I feel David Suchet is the perfect Poirot and I don’t like Kenneth Branagh at all as Poirot! But it is okay. After the casting of our Feluda was announced, 30 per cent was very happy with Tota. The rest 70 per cent was unsure. Over time we have managed to win over that 70 per cent to a large extent.

Coming to Topshe, he is very crucial in the scheme of things and makes his presence felt. Topshe and Lalmohan Babu do a lot of investigation in Jawto Kando Kathmandute. And there has been many variations of Topshe on screen. So his casting was tricky. I went back to my Bible and his sketch. Topshe has a mix of innocence and daring. I actually spotted him in a biscuit ad with Abir Chatterjee where he had played Topshe. I really liked the ad. He got the right tonality of Topshe. And then he auditioned of course.

Kalpan: My friends and family members would always tell me that I would look really nice as Topshe. Initially, I was really surprised once I landed the role of Topshe but I was never intimidated. Of course there was a sense of responsibility since others had set the standard before me as Topshe.

Srijit, you had met Tota at a premiere of Tintorettor Jishu in 2008 and had told him then that he will be your Feluda. Where was this sense of conviction coming from?

Srijit: The sketch! And I have read the Feluda stories so many times. And believe me, I am a Feluda buff. Benuda’s baritone is to die for. But I felt Feluda could be more agile. Tota had that fitness, which I saw in Tintorettor Jishu. Also, Tota has a very close resemblance with the sketches. I had seen him in Chokher Bali and Shubho Mahurat. And he was, very importantly, fresh. A few years passed after that and a few more contenders came into the scene who were great actors, up there in appeal and charisma. There were three or four contenders for the spot and I had to keep in mind a lot of things. The audience poll at the beginning was a way to just test the waters... it got a great feedback. Finally, I decided to go with my gut instinct. Even if you fail, it is your gut that is failing you. Not anyone else. I take the full responsibility. Statistically, my gut has been good, earning a lot of praise, over the last 10 years. Then you feel you can go with your gut. However, in some cases, apart from cinema, my gut has gone wrong (smiles). In such cases I have opted to go against my gut with astounding results (laughs). Coming back to cinema, that’s when I told Tota ‘you are on’.

Tota: In 2008, I was astounded. He had the conviction and the picture in mind. And interestingly, he had told me this after watching a Feluda film; at its premiere. That was a huge kick. In 2019, when I first got to know that I was among the top four contenders, I was prepared to ace the audition. But before the audition only, he told me that he was going with me. It was an amazing moment!

Srijit, when it came to writing the dialogues, how did you blend it with the Feluda universe?

Srijit: The alphabets are his, and the sentence construction is mine. Here, the films helped, and I have kept the swag of the cinematic dialogues. I have used my judgment here. “Aami hoye er bawdla nebo nahoye goyendagiri chere debo.” This is a dialogue! And this line resonates with us... we have said this to ourselves on different occasions. A successful dialogue is that which can manifest itself in all situations. It becomes universal. And also, local and contextual. His (Satyajit Ray) vision has always helped because it is so distinct and clear that I understood the inflections. Ami mogojatstror awaj shunte petam frame gulo dekhe. Obviously Soumitra Chatterjee had a huge role to play there. I had told Tota, “Your eyes should be like Soumitra Chatterjee’s when you are thinking.”

The appeal of Feluda for many, many Bengalis lies in the past, in our memories or nostalgia. Do you feel the Feluda universe needs to be updated?

Srijit: I am very happy with the Feluda universe. See, I don’t want to change or reinterpret anything about Feluda. I can add elements but it cannot get away from the spirit of Feluda. I have nourished and replenished the story to make it a screenplay. And these additions are not like I am doing it consciously to give it a new interpretation, like Guy Ritchie does to a Sherlock Holmes. I’m adding elements because there is a requirement of an intercut or two timelines interplaying in a screenplay.

Tota, tell us about your prep for Feluda?

Tota: We have seen the movies many, many times. I would get references from him, nuances. I knew that I have to follow my director. One day before shoot, all of us watched Sonar Kella at Srijit’s place. It was about what we are getting into. And I know that there will be comparisons. I know where I stand. I have worked with both Soumitra Babu and Benuda.

Tota, what kind of feedback did you get at the trailer launch?

Tota: Benuda was the first person to congratulate me after the trailer release and Saurav (Ganguly) too leaned across and said that he liked what he saw. Once I got their stamp of approval — Feluda’s and Dada’s — I relaxed a bit. I looked around and saw the journalists present were smiling and nodding appreciatively. Then the messages started pouring in. I had to pinch myself to realise that I have just been accepted as Feluda.

How was it working with Srijit?

Tota: It was a great learning experience. I learnt something new about myself. There is a constant pushing and that’s a great way to challenge an actor.

Srijit: There are certain things I expect out of everyone including myself. If those standards are not met, then I am not forgiving at all. In front of the camera, everyone is equal. If I slip up, I stop short of banging my head against the wall.

Anirban: You were very chilled out! Quite Zen on the sets.

Kalpan: It was a learning experience for me and it helped me a lot.

Tota: And Srijit is very generous with his praise and words of encouragement when someone gives a nice take. That is such a boost.