Being Byomkesh Bakshi

On Byomkesh

Byomkesh is a difficult character to portray on-screen, but I’d read all Byomkesh novels in school. This helped me get into the shoes of the detective. I went through the novels again after my selection, lest I miss out on any detail. I wanted to be just the perfect Byomkesh and Anjanda helped me tremendously to look the part.

On getting into the sleuth’s shoes

Before the start of the shooting, Anjanda held frequent discussions with me to make me feel comfortable as Byomkesh. This made things a bit easier for me because I knew a few things about him. Despite the initial tension, I could relate with the character.

On Adim Ripu and its significance

The backdrop of Adim Ripu is the pre-independence era — the events take place during the turbulent time of 1947. Bringing back this time on the sets would have been very expensive, so we dragged it forward to the beginning of the sixties instead.

The original story has the backdrop of communal riots. Now, communal tension is still as relevant a topic, even after four decades. This fact has endowed the script with some contemporariness. It also helped me relate to the time better and when an actor can do this, half the job’s done.

On the importance of Byomkesh and Ajit’s onscreen relationship

Anjanda made it clear that Byomkesh and Ajit were cronies—Ajit wasn’t an assistant like Topshe, he was Byomkesh’s closest friend. We needed to maintain that relationship.

The presence of Apuda (Saswata Chatterjee) as Ajit has helped me in many ways to get on with the character. He’s a very talented actor, and his guidance has enriched me.

On whether Byomkesh gave a new dimension to Abir, the actor...

I’m a director’s actor; I don’t believe in an acting format. It was Anjanda’s analysis that helped me get under the skin of Byomkesh Bakshi. In a way, this made me grow as an actor. I could jolly well fit into Byomkesh’s shoes.

On comparison with Uttam Kumar and Rajit Kapoor...

In our profession, comparisons do happen. Whenever any character is reinvented, people try to compare it with its predecessors. Fortunately, those ventures were done years ago, so they didn’t have much of an influence on me. Anjanda’s Byomkesh is different from his former avatars; he is livelier and contemporary. That’s the USP of my character.


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