~*Sushant's Bollywood Journey#19*~ - Page 4

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Your choices in terms of films have not exactly been conventional. Is that a conscious move?
There are two reasons why we make films. First one being escapist films. There is nothing wrong in that because our lives are so monotonous that we want to associate ourselves with all those larger than life characters we would want to be but can't. The second reason we make films is to show all that is happening around us. I get fascinated by the first aspect of film-making because my idea of being in this industry is very different from everyone else. When I was in college, I used to find it very difficult to interact with people. So, I joined Shaimak's (Davar) dancing school and I did theatre with Barry John. It was then that I realised I can play all these characters and say so many things I always wanted to say, do all that I wanted to do and affect people. That was the reason I chose this profession over engineering. Till the time I am shooting for the film it's personal and selfish. Once I am done with the movie is when I think about the audience and the possible outcome. It is not a deliberate attempt to not do conventional films. I am not against anyone. It's just that I haven't been excited about roles like that.

Were you apprehensive of taking up a biopic since it would be pressurising to live up to the original person - in this case Byomkesh Bakshi?
I think all the characters that I played in films or theatre existed in my head. Whether it's Byomkesh or the next biopic (on Mahendra Singh Dhoni) that I am doing, the idea of those people exists in my head. I have those visual references and that's why I can see it, feel it and portray it. So everytime I portray any character it's equally complicated, challenging and fascinating. Just because somebody exists or existed, it doesn't make a difference. Learning the way one talks or behaves or his mannerisms are very easy things to do. And I don't know why we get very excited about things like 'Oh this actor didn't eat for two days or that he didn't sleep for five days.' The complicated thing to do is to stop the momentum of your own pattern of thinking.

You play a detective in this film. Did you always have that inquisitive streak in you?
I think, everybody does. Right now, I am thinking about the kind of person you are. At the same time, I want to know what you think of me as well. I have spied on people but I am not going to take names.

Is there anybody you consult before you take up a film?
No. It is completely my call. Cent percent. And I cannot put a finger on it as to why I chose this role. When you read the script of the film, you know whether the film has struck a chord with you or no. It is then that you come up with all the logical, possible explanations like the banner, the co-star, the director -- as to why you would want to do the film.

How much was Sharadindu inspired by the western concept of a detective?

DIBAKAR: Essentially, the concept of a detective is western. I don't think he was inspired at all; he just absorbed it. Sharadindu reinvented it; his Byomkesh and his assistant are completely Indian and that's the genius. That's something that needs to be seen; the fact that how Indian Byomkesh was and how Indian he made him, without any jingoism. Yet, these are all universal characters, who are as evil, sensuous and dark as can be.

Sushant, how was it working on this project?

SUSHANT: It wasn't easy. For almost 150 days, I only researched. I used to have long conversations with Dibakar, visit Kolkata often, and have conversations with random people on the road there. That's how a week before we started shooting, we were sure of what we are not supposed to do. DIBAKAR: Like Uttam Kumar's Chiriyakhana (1967) by Satyajit Ray.

SUSHANT: Yes, that's the only Byomkesh film that Dibakar showed me. And when I saw it, he particularly told me that this is something that I'm not supposed to do.

DIBAKAR: Not because I don't like it. It's quite nice actually. But when you see Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh, you see a seasoned detective in his prime. But our Byomkesh is first the character Byomkesh, and then the detective. He's first the man with all his eccentricities, flaws, weaknesses, and he's a rookie Byomkesh. He's just out of college, and unsure of himself. He's learning, making mistakes, yet he is up against his biggest nemesis.

Were you aware of Byomkesh before Dibakar introduced you to the character?

SUSHANT: Of course, I knew who he was. I hadn't read anything, but I had memories of the Doordarshan show. I remember the track that used to play and the subtle mannerisms of the character. So, I had some idea, but Dibakar very particularly told me not to watch anything while I was shooting for the film.

Did you consider a Bengali actor as the lead?

DIBAKAR: If he could speak Hindi flawlessly and had a huge fan following, I would have. And if he was a good actor, a good looker, about 26-27 years old, and known in the Hindi film world as an upcoming movie star, then I would have taken him.

Was Sushant your first choice?

DIBAKAR: Out of the crop of the upcoming actors, who will hopefully become the reigning stars of tomorrow, yes. I was looking for somebody who understood the art of understatement, because I don't think a detective is a rational creature; he's a logical creature. There is some clinical precision to how a detective probably behaves. I found Sushant acted naturally in Pavitra Rishta. It was a TV show, but I saw him actually giving subtle takes. It's very easy to look and sound good in a well-mounted accomplished film like Kai Po Che! (2013) or PK (2014), or it is very easy to look dishy, where you are acting to the fantasy of today's youth. But it's not easy to be subtle in a TV show, day after day. In every episode that I watched, whenever Sushant was doing a scene, it was more natural. We had a long chat about how he did that. And he told me his dukhra (sad story). He told me, I was about to be thrown off...'

SUSHANT: After the first three months, the makers of the show planned to replace me as they thought I was not acting. Then TRPs started going up, so they were happy and I was safe.

Did you audition Sushant?

DIBAKAR: I did, but not as a means to choose him. I auditioned him after casting him. It was a way of figuring out how to get Sushant to become Byomkesh.

What's your take on an actor becoming the character' theory of preparation?

SUSHANT: I don't think it's possible to become your character'. As an individual, you have conflicts and similarities and dissimilarities with the character. And you are continuously working on those dissimilarities. It's like a pendulum swinging, and you can only try and get close to your character. Kevin Spacey said about Al Pacino that he used to give 40 to 50 takes, and then he walked to the director and say, "Something happened in the 19th or 20th take; just check."

DIBAKAR: Also, if you are shooting a film for two or three months, you can't have a calculated formula because Byomkesh goes through a gamut of emotions. So, Sushant walked through the streets of Kolkata, anonymously, for days, to observe the city and its people, and I started talking to him about what might have changed between then and now. For example, an average Bengali has a deep love for conversation... Sushant doesn't talk much, so we got him to start conversing. Bengalis are also obsessed with washing their hands. After they eat, they wash their hands because they don't want their hand entho' (dirty). We concentrated on such things...

How well does Kolkata today lend itself to a period film?

DIBAKAR: Cinematically, some of it. We shot the film over 66 days, out of which 28 days were in Kolkata, and the rest on our sets in Mumbai. We kind of exhausted places in Kolkata, but there were logistical problems. For example, at some places you can only shoot on weekends, which would have really extended the shoot. We went to BBD Bagh, and in one night, we changed everything that was contemporary. We got two trams from the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, and painted them in the advertising of that time.

Is this film the beginning of a potential series?

DIBAKAR: You know, you'll make me cry now. I desperately want this movie to work. I never wanted any of my other films to work as much as I want this one to, because the other ones were pretty safe movies. They were cheap films, so I knew that they'll recover their money. That doesn't mean I wasn't attached to those films, but with this one, it's slightly different. It has cost a lot more money than any of my other films. My deepest desire for this film is to get a genuine Indian icon out there, in its full Indian unconsciousness; which is not jingoistic. That, for me, is a way of celebrating who we are today. If this works with the audience, only then can we make part two.

Did you screen test Swastika Mukherjee?

DIBAKAR: Yes. We screen tested about 80 actresses from Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata. Her test was quite spectacular. But her look was completely wrong. So, I decided to go for the actor' in her and then we worked on her look for many weeks.

Sushant, you'll next start shooting for the Dhoni biopic. Is it easier to play a real-life character as compared to a fictional character?

SUSHANT: I don't think it's that simple to differentiate. The most important thing is that despite undergoing all the research, we can't play our research' in front of the camera. When the director says action', your research is not in front of you. Research just gives us the authority to believe that we have the right to be that character. When you get that feeling, it's only the first step. So, if I have to play someone who is still around and everyone has a visual reference of it, I have to take care of a few things. I know how he (Dhoni) talks, walks or plays cricket. So yes, it's an imitation of sorts, but I have to convince myself that I am not playing him; I am him. This is what I am trying to do.