Grinning Tree is inspired by an American graphic designer known for his design of motion picture title sequences and film posters. “If we can do 1/1000th of what Saul Bass had done, it will be huge for us,” says Shamik Chatterjee, director founder of the creative agency off Lansdowne Road. He, along with his team, has created the posters of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, Dibakar Banerjee’s funky take on the adventures of Sharadindu Bandopadhyay’s super sleuth,  starring Sushant Singh Rajput. t2 caught up with Shamik and co-founder director Anindita Sen. 

What was Dibakar Banerjee’s brief for the creatives? 

Anindita: He primarily wanted a graphic novel feel. He wanted to revive Bengali noir. Bengal has this culture of illustrative work. Comics in Bengali are a genre by themselves. Narayan Debnath is just the tip of the iceberg. Mayukh Chowdhury has been considered an unsung hero for his work Agantuk (The Stranger)... he tried to meld the idea of international western graphic with a very Bengali kind of aesthetic. What we have seen is that Dibakar has redefined it in a wonderful way, adding a kind of machismo, which brings in robustness to the entire endeavour. 
Shamik: Also if you see, the way they are promoting the song (Bach ke Bakshy!) to define a hero who is contextually based back in time... but he has been placed in a modernised context keeping the time and the look alike. People might say that this looks like Sherlock Holmes or something else, but this actually doesn’t look like anything. It is absolutely a new canvas, which he has basically painted. It was a challenge because this exact portrayal is not there in Bengal. Bikash Bhattacharjee’s paintings were a huge reference point. The whole intention was to make it a little larger-than-life and dynamic. It includes shots that you usually don’t see. Bidhan Baidya (of Grinning Tree) has illustrated all the artworks. 

This is Grinning Tree’s first Hindi film project. What does it mean to you?

Anindita: I think the subject in itself was exciting. We are excited to work on a national platform. Bollywood is very exciting because of the kind of liberty they give and the scale at which they work. Starting off with something like this and being associated with a film like this was historical in itself. As a company, we believe in design meets discourse. The biggest incentive to do a project like this was to be a part of the national narrative. Ever since they were launched in end-2014, the posters have become a clutter-breaker and a talking point...
Shamik: Art for art’s sake is not the only factor. There are also other relative factors. A film must do well commercially. People should be able to understand what we are making. We would have to constantly strike a balance while making the posters... the balance of creating something special and different which, at the same time, would be simple enough to understand. 

How did the ideation take place? 

Shamik: It was Dibakar’s idea. He is a visionary. 
Anindita: I went for dinner with a friend where Dibakar was also present as he was shooting the film in Calcutta. I didn’t go as somebody from Grinning Tree. Then, while chatting, he said, ‘Oh, Mishawr Rawhoshyo tomra korechho? Wow! I was looking for that agency because I want a similar kind of approach for the leading poster. I will give you an opportunity to pitch’. We pitched and we got the job. He had shown us the initial sketch that he had drawn. 
Shamik: Then the photoshoot happened where the character was shot. We have put together references from the time period of how Howrah Bridge and the river would look. We discussed, spoke to the photographer, and basically explained how we are looking at it. Since we had to identify with the character, so the face was the reference point. 
 
 

What was Dibakar’s first reaction when you unveiled the poster? 

Shamik: He approved it at the first shot. He has spent a lot of time with the film. Every poster would go into 10 to 12 rounds of minute changes that only added value. The points he made were so precise. They were all from the design point of view. 
Anindita: Our wavelengths matched. We never felt that he didn’t understand us. 

Any message from Aditya Chopra? 

Shamik: (Smiles) Nothing yet! That’s what we are waiting for. 
Anindita: We are happy that we have worked with Yash Raj Films. They were wonderful. 

You have also done the posters  for other Byomkesh films made in Tollywood...

Anindita: All three are very different. We believe we are our biggest competition. Every project has to be a fresh project. We don’t repeat. We are original. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! was a brand new project for us. 

Which recent film posters have caught your eye?

Shamik: Rowdy Rathore, Gangs of Wasseypur, Paan Singh Tomar, Hunterrr, Dev.D, Ready.... I want to work with Anurag Kashyap. I am a big fan! 
Anindita: We also love the posters of Deewar and Sholay!