Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
Extensive research on real-life crime incidents of West Bengal during 2023 Durga Puja vacation eventually landed Kolkata boy Debatma Mandal in the director’s chair for the Netflix series Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, a breakthrough that came almost nine years after his first meeting with show creator Neeraj Pandey.
For 33-year-old Mandal — a Behala boy who grew up exploring the streets, food and film culture of Kolkata — getting to direct a big-budget, star-studded Netflix show was nothing less than a dream come true. What made it even more special was the fact that he could incorporate all his knowledge about Kolkata into a show marketed for a global audience.
At the age of 22, Mandal moved to Mumbai to join Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos (2017) as an assistant director — his first tryst with Bollywood. Mandal bagged the offer by impressing Basu with his short film at a St. Xavier’s College film fest in Kolkata, he recalled.
“The struggle to survive in that ecosystem was tough. I was the youngest and had no theoretical training. But I learnt everything on a live set. Anurag da is my mentor and guru,” he told The Telegraph Online, reflecting on his more-than-a-decade old journey in the film industry.
By 23, Mandal was directing and writing for Epic TV's 2015 production Stories by Rabindranath Tagore. In 2018, he directed Bouma, a short film starring Bidita Bag, Rajatava Dutta, and Paran Bandopadhyay. It became the only Bengali short film that year to receive a nod at the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
It was Khakee editor Praveen Kathikuloth who introduced Mandal to show creator Neeraj Pandey. Initial conversations with Pandey in 2015 did not yield results, but in 2023, the seeds of Khakee: The Bengal Chapter were sown.
Mandal returned to Kolkata from Mumbai after nearly a decade to conduct a research on real-life crime incidents just before Durga Puja. What began as groundwork soon evolved into something bigger, especially after interactions with senior crime journalist Surbek Biswas helped Mandal discover compelling stories.
Mandal soon penned the first draft of Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, a hefty document running 250-300 pages. “I tried to imbibe the essence of Kolkata in the script,” he said.
Samrat Chakraborty later joined the writing team, and casting discussions led to Jeet and Prosenjit Chatterjee being brought on board. “There’s an aura about them. They’re superstars but also humble and collaborative. Their warmth helped me overcome my initial fanboy nervousness. We became like a family, and I miss working on the set with them,” he shared.
Filmmaker Tushar Kanti Ray joined Mandal as co-director. Ray also handled the show's cinematography.
Shooting in Kolkata spanned 45 days, and Mandal recalls it fondly. “Everyone was so compassionate and cooperative. When we shifted to Mumbai, we actually missed the city.” Mandal also noted how some filmmakers harbour pre-conceived notions about Kolkata. “People assume Kolkatans are laid-back. But if you approach them with kindness, they’ll give you more than you expect,” he asserted, determined to crush stereotypes associated with the city.
Mandal’s storytelling thrives on humour. “Even in the darkest moments, I look for humour. It’s essential to any genre,” he explained.
With Khakee marking a major milestone in his career, Mandal is already dreaming bigger. But no matter where he goes, his heart remains in Kolkata. “One should never forget their roots,” he said.
“My father is proud of how I have portrayed Kolkata in the show — in its spirit, its texture, its details. That’s my greatest satisfaction,” Mandal signed off.
