Abir and Jeet in The Royal Bengal Tiger

To The Royal Bengal Tiger

Dear Abir,

I was always sure you would roar as an actor someday, but I could never imagine you as an ordinary, timid man. Your portrayal of Abhiroop in The Royal Bengal Tiger has proved me wrong. You can quite convincingly get out of your hero mode and look the quintessential, timid Bangali babu. I do not mean the dhoti-clad archetype, but a man who is very today yet Bengali.

Neeraj Pandey in his story and Rajesh Ganguly in his presentation of the film have moved away from the run of the mill, but the element of fun, suspense and thrill has been maintained to entertain the audience.

Remember Abir, how we used to be after your life about your walk?! We wanted you to have a heroic gait, but as Abhiroop the walk and the sloth-ish body language you have maintained throughout the film is perhaps a reversal to the days when you sported a similar walk. So nothing in life is a waste.

I watched a late-night show on a weekday and was pleasantly surprised to see there were several other Bengalis who were, like me, catching the film. The Royal Bengal Tiger is not a pot-boiler though the name does have the word ‘Tiger’ in it and Jeet our superhero is cast in the film.

I must admit Abir, Jeet in his role as Anjan was not just convincing but very good. So far Jeet has always been the swashbuckling hero or the romantic lover, but here his character is realistically fantastic! I would not have believed it if I had not heard him, that Jeet could recite Bengali poetry with such gusto.

The story of the film is unusual, totally new and conceptualised extremely convincingly.

Your chemistry with your son (Saptarshi Basu Roychowdhury), your colleague Dipu (Shantilal Mukherjee) and boss (Rajesh Sharma), showed different degrees of diffidence, that made Abhiroop more likeable and relatable.

Rajesh Ganguly is aware of his art and the storytelling up to a point keeps the audience guessing. Somehow in the restaurant scene the waiter’s look of surprise when you pass on the coffee cup to Anjan I felt could have been avoided; it gives away a clue too early in the film.

In the kind of office you work in, Nandini (Shraddha Das) is really a misfit. But then times are changing and while the Dipus of the world are still there, the Nandinis are also joining the workforce.

Shantilal as Dipu, the wily colleague, is extremely measured in his acting, while Kharaj (Mukherjee) as the errant tenant is as always an attractive proposition. I love the moment created on your birthday when your wife, played by Priyanka, forces you to confront Kharaj, the tenant. This moment is beautifully justified when you later confront him on your own, egged on by who else but Anjan.

Your attraction towards Nandini, the sari-clad, attractive colleague, despite having a loving wife and child at home, seems to prove men will be men, whether timid or otherwise.

The road sequences, the chase on the main road in daylight and the Metro Rail journey must have been quite a job while shooting. Rajesh and his team, cinematographer (Pratap Rout) et al have done a good job without being overt. What one must mention is the background score of Sanjay Salil Choudhury, so beautifully there in the background aiding and abetting the flow of the film.

The end could have been a little more subtle…but then you cannot have everything in one film. It is no point nitpicking, when the film leaves you thinking as well as entertained.

I feel this role will remain one of your best portrayals as an actor for days to come.

You may be playing more heroic, intelligent, flashy and attractive characters in the near future, but Abhiroop will remain etched in our minds in days to come.

Here’s wishing you and the team a royal ROAR.