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Actor Anirban Bhattacharya On The Many Shades of Byomkesh

The lazy Byomkesh, and the sharp one, Byomkesh the family man, and Byomkesh the rapper: actor Anirban Bhattacharya speaks about playing the Bengali sleuth in the web series on Hoichoi

No, not another screen version of Byomkesh Bakshi, a franchise that’s been literally milked dry of all mystery by filmmakers in the last decade. To be fair, Hoichoi’s Byomkesh is a rather well-made series, the adaptations more faithful to Sharadindu’s stories than some of the film versions we have had. For one, the production design is admirable, with close attention to period detail, the performances top-notch, and at an hour’s running time the episodes are crisp and engaging. That the series is now into its fourth season – the earlier seasons having featured classic Byomkesh novels Pather Kanta, Makorhsar Rash and Rakter Daag – is testimony to the fact that Bengali viewers cannot have enough of the detective who hates being called one – he prefers ‘satyanweshi’, a seeker of truth.

The new season is an adaptation of Sharadindu’s Agnibaan – a typically convoluted Sharadindu mystery, with a galaxy of ingenious characters – a docile, henpecked scientist, his nagging, insufferable wife (who even makes a pass at Byomkesh!), and a doctor who listens to Wagner because he is Hitler’s favourite composer, and not only supports the gas chambers but also conducts illegal experiments on unsuspecting patients of his own. But what really makes the series work is the actor essaying Byomkesh, Anirban Bhattacharya, whose laconic tough-cop act in the recently released Vinci Da has been getting praises. A promotional music video for the fourth season of the show, also has Byomkesh rapping. Bhattacharya – also a musician – has written and sung the rap number, titled Bakshi Babu.

Bhattacharya’s star has been on the rise over the last couple of years, and in the last year itself, he has featured in blockbusters like Uma, Ek Je Chhilo Raja and Shahjahan Regency, apart from eye-catching roles in Eagoler Chokh and Aparna Sen’s Arshinagar earlier. But while his film appearances so far have largely been in the mould of “character roles”, the Byomkesh web series provides him a bigger scope to display his acting range.

In an interview, Bhattacharya chats about his take on the detective, and the idea behind the song, an imaginative tribute to a classic character in a contemporary context.