It was 9pm on a Saturday and Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences was bustling with energy. The shoot of the film Baazi, starring Jeet and Mimi Chakraborty, was giving the place a real buzz. Jeet and Mimi — coming together on screen for the first time — were busy shooting a party sequence. “It is Mimi’s father’s (played by Sabyasachi Chakrabarty) birthday, and I attend that,” says Jeet. “I introduce Jeetda to him,” says Mimi. Baazi releases on May 22. A chat…

JEET

Your first release of this year was Asur…

The film performed really well in the city... the box-office performance and audience reach were very good. The film earned critical acclaim as well. People appreciated the way in which the story was told and the relationships were portrayed. The best scenario is when a film connects across the board. We are working on ideas that connect with both the urban and rural audience.

Is Baazi the film that will bridge the gap?

We are hoping so, yes. First of all, Baazi is an official remake of a south (Indian) film. It is a revenge story. We liked the idea… and the storytelling, screenplay and the writing part are very smart and sleek. And yet, the film is very massy. We figured that it was an interesting way to tell a story. I am doing a mainstream, hardcore commercial film after some time. Sultan was the last one (in that genre). After Sultan, I did a few films, which were not in that hardcore, mainstream space. Baazi just lands in the mainstream, where you have songs, action, dance and entertainment. When it comes to remakes, things are changing. In other markets, nationally, the remakes — and there are many — are performing really well at the box office. Every now and then we have tried with all kinds of ideas, be it original or remake. I feel we should bring something new to the people, and something that connects with a wider audience.

Going forward, would you like to act in more films like Asur?

As an actor, I am always open to ideas. If I like something, I don’t mind doing it.

What is the best way to do a remake for the audience here?

You have to get the local nuances into it. And that is something that we keep on trying. Baazi is high on the entertainment quotient… which people look for. And we have talked to broadcasters… we have our digital team also… we are getting to know more and more about what kind of content connects deeper and has a greater reach.

You are paired with Mimi for the first time...

We both were looking forward to working with each other, and thankfully everything fell into place for this film. Discussions were on for some time about working together… and people on social media were also making these suggestions that they would like to see us in a film together. As an actor, we all know how good Mimi is. She is looking gorgeous in the film. The beautiful thing about Mimi is that her innocence is still intact. She has this honesty… and her heart is in the right place.

Tell us about your look in this film…

This is how I look in real life… and we decided to go with this look. I have only played around with my hairstyle, and added the spectacles. In this film, there is a lot of opportunity to wear good clothes and look good. I had worn rimless specs in Sangi also, many years ago… and this one is rimless too (in Baazi). That was a rectangular-shaped one and this one is a bit round-ish in shape.

Do you ever think of getting into direction?

At some point of time I had thought about it … but not any more. See, I am happy with what I am doing. Every day we learn something. The technology is changing so fast every day.

Do you have a film wish?

I have a wish to shoot a film completely in a studio with a lot of VFX.

Do you feel only fantasy adventure films, thrillers and family dramas make waves at the Bengali box office?

Spectacular films, strong content and films that hold the audience interest for two hours or more (will perform well at the box office). Theatre culture will always be there.

MIMI

You are back in familiar territory with Baazi, a mainstream entertainer…

It is larger than life, and I love doing commercial films! You get to dance, dress up, travel to great locations… the characters are lively… such films don’t let you be so serious or intense (smiles). You know what you are doing.

How was your experience working with Jeet?

Jeetda is a star. The way he looks, the way he has maintained himself, the aura he has, the way he dresses. He is a heart-throb of millions. My staff used to wonder why I hadn’t worked with Jeetda yet. My mom also asked me one day when will I work with Jeetda! So finally it has happened (smiles).

How was the first day of shoot like?

It was fun. When I come in front of the camera, I feel alive. And I am very spontaneous.

What is that one thing did you discover about Jeet?

He is very chilled out. Jeetda is very careful and precise. He has a great sense of humour. When Jeetda is there you will never get bored. He has so many stories to tell you; he shares his experiences. And every day he tells me that marriage is a beautiful institution and that I should get married (smiles).

You will be travelling to London soon for the shoot of Baazi. Apart from shooting, what are you planning to do there?

I’ll shop! I have seen everything in London.