Directed by Arpan Garai with Anirban Bhattacharya as creative director, Talmar Romeo Juliet is a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragic tale of love, Romeo and Juliet. A t2 chat with Bhattacharya, who also stars in a pivotal role in the series which is now streaming on Hoichoi.

The story of Talmar Romeo Juliet is from a well-known text that has been adapted for the screen many times already. What were the advantages and disadvantages of retelling it for contemporary audiences?

I do not think that there are any disadvantages at all. Shakespeare’s plays are by themselves very cinematic and offer you a script that is almost ready. That is why they have been adapted so many times across so many languages all over the world. We haven’t seen Molière or Bertolt Brecht or other playwrights’ works being adapted so much for the screen. Shakespeare, on the other hand, has been widely adapted because his plays are structurally very entertaining. They are the most entertaining pieces of content for a screenplay writer. You get romance, tension, drama, fights, action scenes, thrills — Shakespeare gives you a complete package of entertainment. So the advantages are immense. To adapt a story, you simply need to localise the events.

The only extra pressure of adapting a Shakespeare play is that it requires a bigger canvas. Shakespeare’s world is always very vast in both his tragedies and comedies and the world-building of every story needs to be done carefully.

Both the lead actors of this series are newcomers, having played very minor roles prior to this. What was your experience of working with them?

Arpan (Garai) groomed and trained them for six months before we shot for the series, starting from the basics of acting, through exercises and workshops. When I met them for the first time after their casting had been okayed, I was quite impressed with their preparedness. I can say that they have worked with great seriousness, dedication and integrity, and the audience too will also be able to see it for themselves.

As creative director, were you involved in characterisation of actors as well as the entire look and feel of the work? What was the contribution that you are most proud of as creative director of Talmar Romeo Juliet?

I was involved in every aspect — from acting, music and script to cinematography, location selection, production design and production. Though I didn’t write the script, I edited it a bit and generated a shooting version. But I don’t think that I can point out anything I am especially proud of or can glorify, as everybody contributed in their own way to the making of this series. I can only say that I am very proud of Arpan Garai, who has done a brilliant job as director.

Your character is pivotal to the action and violent themes. Even your look has drawn a lot of attention. Was it a tough role to play and how different is it from the original character of Tybalt on which it is based?

I had to learn how to speak the language. The entire script is in a dialect that is unique to a region in north Bengal, where Talma is situated. Durbar (Sharma), who wrote the script, and is from Jalpaiguri, helped me with that. So that was one challenge — to speak the dialect well both during shooting and dubbing. To achieve the look was another; as we had to find out whether the look Arpan had thought out for me, would look suitable or not. Fortunately, the look test also revealed that we got it right. The rest I figured out while on the job (smiles). My character is mostly like Tybalt. As for differences, the audience will know after they watch the series.

You have played a negative role in Atthoi and now in Talmar Romeo Juliet as well. As an actor, do you enjoy portraying anti-heroes or characters with grey shades?

If you look at my post-pandemic career, I portrayed a negative character in Mandaar, another negative role in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway... in Atthoi I am downright evil, and then again as a villain in Talmar Romeo Juliet. But I have simply portrayed these roles one after the other just because they have been offered to me in that order. But in Dawshom Awbotaar my character Bijoy Poddar is a good officer, I played Byomkesh in Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya. In a yet-to-be-released film called Pokkhirajer Dim, I also play the role of a good man. So I have been offered varied roles and have done those that I have found interesting. I never think about whether I am doing too many villainous roles or not, neither do I try to strike a balance between good and bad characters. Also, I don’t think that I have any particular preference for playing negative roles either.

You had mentioned earlier that it is very difficult to balance your roles in front of and behind the camera. What were the challenges and has it become easier with the experience you have gained?

Well, this time it was a lot easier because Arpan, our director took care of everything. I only had to keep a watch over everything as a whole, as creative director. My 15-plus years of theatre experience have taught me how to manage and function under these conditions. You just have to work harder, but that’s alright. After all, it is my choice, whether or not I will put in the extra effort. Since I signed up to take care of the creative direction department, it was my responsibility to make sure that the job was done right.

You have also written lyrics for a few songs of this series. Laal rong is already quite popular. Could you take us through the process? What has the response been like?

I have written four songs for Talmar Romeo Juliet. So far, I have been a lyricist for around 25 songs.

The starting point for Laal rong was that the script had a line by Rana where he asks Jahanara to wear red only when she is with him. I was asked by Durbar to write a song that captures this romantic moment and expresses the passion of the lovers. The songs Laal rong and Du haathey mutho bhorey have both received very good responses from the audience, and we are extremely happy about it.

Is there any other Shakespearean play you wish to work on for Bengali screen audiences?

I don’t have any immediate plans for that. However, Shakespeare’s fantasy play A Midsummer Night’s Dream has always been a favourite. If I ever get the opportunity, I might consider adapting that for the screen. Julius Caesar is another favourite that I think is worthy of adaptation.