An elderly, lonely Byomkesh Bakshi is dealing with a crisis that has fallen upon his family. Satyabati and Ajit are memories. His son, Abhimanyu, is missing. There’s a restless grandson, Satyaki, and his girlfriend, Tunna, for company.

Debaloy Bhattacharya’s film Bidaay Byomkesh, which releases today, is about the dynamics between all these characters and more. The highlight here is that Abir Chatterjee plays both Byomkesh and Satyaki, while Sohini Sarkar plays Satyabati and Tunna. A t2 chat with Abir at The Biryani Company in Mudiali... 

What was your first reaction when you got to know that you’d be playing an elderly Byomkesh?

I was really excited and anxious as well... largely because we were dealing with prosthetic make-up in a Bengali film. The cost is high. A make-up team had to fly down from Mumbai. It used to take me four hours every day to put on the make-up. To remove the make-up, it would take another hour.

So if we were shooting for 12 hours a day, I was only left with seven hours of shoot time. Also, one had to keep in mind the weather conditions. We had to shoot it in winter, in a controlled environment. Otherwise the make-up wouldn’t stay in the heat.

Next, this film is not based on a Byomkesh story. It’s an original story based on the sleuth. It is a completely experimental take on Byomkesh. We had to innovate every day. As artistes, we had to try different things.

With a film like Bidaay Byomkesh, people will have a lot of opinions. Which is good. The film is based on a hypothetical situation after all. And having this debate over a film is very healthy. People have started talking about it already. Understandably, people are very possessive about Byomkesh since they love the character so much. 

What was your point of reference for playing an elderly Byomkesh?

Arindamda’s (Sil) Byomkesh films were my reference point. And in my mind, I kept on adding another 40 years to get into the space where I am an elderly Byomkesh. I wanted to see how he would react in these present times. 

Who does Arindam Sil play in the film?

He plays Tunna’s father. And Satyaki and his character just can’t see eye to eye! 

What kind of questions did you have for Debaloy before the shoot?

I asked him so many questions… and these Q&A sessions of mine happen with every director (laughs). Debaloy was very patient. I asked him questions like, are you using the prosthetic make-up for a gimmick or do you really want to see that character? We wanted to use the prosthetic make-up as a tool and not the focal point of the film. It had to be realistic.

My other question was — how do we pull off this film?

The two main characters are playing double roles. It’s a new ball game for all of us. In the past we have seen the same guy playing father and son or two brothers. But the same person playing dadu and naati?!

Of course as an actor, how could I let go of this opportunity? So starting from the body language to their sense of morality and values, the language they use… everything was totally different. It was a huge opportunity for me. We planned out everything in advance. 

How did you go about playing an elderly person?

There are some stereotypical notions about playing an elderly person… the person’s voice should quiver, the hands should shake, his teeth should be missing. See, I am playing Byomkesh Bakshi. He is our version of a superhero. And if that person grows old, it will happen with grace. The way I see it, with age, Byomkesh Bakshi is more experienced, more focused. At the same time, he is lonely.

His son Abhimanyu Bakshi is missing. It is strange to think that Satyanweshi’s son, a police officer, is missing. Byomkesh is suffering from depression.... I have tried to internalise all that, rather than just focus on the external appearance.

Also, I felt Byomkesh’s eyes  should remain the same, except for a hint of melancholy in them. Of course, with age Byomkesh’s walk will be different... the way he sits, his speech pattern. I used a denture but it was not visible.     

When did you dub?

I used to dub from six in the morning till 8.30am. I did it to keep the grain in the voice for the elderly Byomkesh. Meanwhile, the grandson Satyaki is restless and speaks fast. He has double the energy. However, he is always sulking, has this angst. But he is also proud of his lineage. 

Did you ever think of doing all three roles — grandfather, son and grandson?!

Debaloy had suggested it, but I left the room immediately (smiles). 

We heard that Satyaki’s girlfriend Tunna is also smitten by Byomkesh…

She hero-worships him. Since Byomkesh is slightly depressed, Tunna’s company cheers him up. They have this sweet interaction in one scene. It’s a new relationship in the storyline. 

What did your family members tell you once they saw you as the elderly Byomkesh?

They were very excited. Many said that I was looking like my father (Phalguni Chatterjee)! See, it’s a huge responsibility and at times I wondered whether I would be able to pull it off. More than the physical transformation, it was the mental preparation. Byomkesh has given me so much. 

How did the scenes between Satyabati and Byomkesh come off?

Doing those were easier since we had played those roles before. But with Satyaki and Tunna, we created two new characters. They are fighting all the time and yet they cannot live without each other. And Sohini’s challenge was to make Tunna different from Satyabati. Satyabati’s image is really strong, while Tunna is naive and very inquisitive; she is Satyaki’s only go-to person. 

How was it like working with Debaloy?

Debaloy has a wicked sense of humour. He knows the rules and that’s why he can break them. He has this madness in him… and that’s necessary to innovate. You will be mad at him, but at the end of the day you’ll fall in love with him.

Picture: Rashbehari Das

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