Stepping into the shoes of the late Santosh Dutta as Satyajit Ray’s fictional mystery thriller writer Lalmohan Ganguly, aka Jatayu, in a Feluda film is a challenge for any seasoned actor. Director-actor Abhijit Guha, who debuted as the iconic character in Sandip Ray’s recent whodunnit Hatyapuri, tells us the process of becoming Jatayu and relives his memories of interacting with Santosh Dutta.

How did Jatayu happen to you?

Abhijit Guha: I knew a few people from Babuda’s (Sandip Ray) unit and they told me that I might be approached for Jatayu’s character. Though I mentally prepared myself for a call, at times I felt, ‘Why will he even think of me? Just because I’m bald and have some similarity with the picture drawn by Satyajit Ray?’ When that call came, Babuda simply said, ‘You know why I called you.

Santosh Dutta raised the bar very high for any actor playing this character. Did you have him in mind?

Abhijit Guha: Santosh Dutta was a brilliant actor and the role was tailor-made for him. But he was never on my mind. I have never taken any reference from any actors who have played Jatayu.

I knew Santosh Dutta very well. I went to his house, adjacent to Chhaya cinema, several times and interacted with him. I was an observer in Ravi Ojha’s first serial in which Santosh Dutta was cast. My responsibility was to pick up Santosh Dutt in an Ambassador car, which I drove, and drop him off at Aurora Studio. Every day he would get into the car with a folio bag. He would take out an aluminium tiffin box, which had chhana with sugar and chapati. He would offer me the food every time and say, ‘Please have it’. And I would refuse each time: ‘No, I have already had my lunch; you please have it.’ I also knew Rabi Ghosh very well. My interactions with these great actors in real life has helped me a lot.

How did you prepare for the role?

Abhijit Guha: I did not have to do any preparation as such. Before reading the script, I had read the full Feluda Samagra. I also attended the script-reading sessions held by Sandip Ray.

Our first day’s scenes were shot near Bhadreswar. My character had many dialogues. I had to give quite a few takes on the first day. It takes time to get into the character and find the right camera angles. But after the first day, the journey was smooth.

I find Lalmohan to be an extremely innocent person. I am not the same in real life. He has great interest in different subjects. He gets awed by little things. He trusts everybody. I had to incorporate these little character traits in myself.

How did you find Bibhu Bhattacharya’s Jatayu? Who is your favourite Jatayu on screen?

Abhijit Guha: Initially, I had felt that Bibhu Bhattacharya was not adequate in the role. But he improved through the films and grew as an actor. My favourite Jatayu is Santosh Dutta. I adore both Santosh Dutta and Rabi Ghosh. I am a fan of these two great actors.

What was Sandip Ray’s brief for you?

Abhijit Guha: Sandip Ray had asked not to watch any Feluda films. He did a single script-reading session with us. He asked us to visit him in case of any confusion. We did not do any workshops.

I think it’s a myth that you need to do workshops and spend time with each other off-screen to create onscreen bonds. Santosh Dutta and Soumitra Chatterjee never had one. They had never met Siddhartha Chatterjee (who played Topshe) before.

What was it like to work with Sandip Ray?

Abhijit Guha: It has been fantastic. It is very difficult to find a person like him in real life. He has great knowledge and has a great sense of humour. As a director, he is very sorted. He is very clear about what he wants from an actor.

Being a director yourself, what is your approach when you are an actor and are directed by someone else?

Abhijit Guha: As an actor, if I want to give any input, I always say, ‘Can I do this?’ If the director is okay, fine. Otherwise I will simply follow the director’s command. It is the director’s decision at the end of the day. Being a filmmaker, I know where to stop and how to go about it. It’s easier for me to understand the director’s command. Babuda would say, ‘Ei dekho director toh, thik bujhe gelo’ (see, he understood this so quickly, because he’s a director). I think being a director helps me in acting.

Which is your most favourite Feluda story? And film?

Abhijit Guha: My favourite Feluda story is Chhinnomostar Obhishaap. My favourite Feluda film is Sonar Kella.

If you were to make a film on Feluda, which story would you choose? Who would be your dream cast as Feluda?

Abhijit Guha: I would love to make Chhinnomostar Obhishaap. My dream cast is the Hatyapuri cast.