For his last few box-office outings, Jeet, as expected, was in full action mode. No wonder then that his switch to a sci-fi comedy came as a surprise. We caught up with Jeet on why he zeroed in on Boomerang (which is in its fourth week at the box office) where he plays a maverick scientist, why he chose Rukmini Maitra as the female lead and the kind of stories he picks for his production house.

Boomerang marks a shift from your usual action avatar. Did you feel your action hero image was overdone?

Jeet: Action is an ornament of a film. The storytelling remains the core and the soul. If the storytelling is good, the film works. You have to be right with the way you are telling the story and the directorial part has to be right too.

We, as a (production) house, wanted to do something different and that is how it started. I felt that there was a bit of monotony with the films I was doing. It was more or less in a similar space not only in action but also in terms of the stories. Action has its audience and we have been blessed to be accepted in that space. It was Sauvik (Kundu, director of Boomerang) who got the idea from a play and that is how Boomerang happened.

It is the story of a scientist who wants to invent something and his biggest dream since childhood has been to make a humanoid robot. He makes a robot who looks like his wife and is supposed to hide it from anyone. There are many misunderstandings and there’s a comedy of errors and the situations boomerang as a result.

When you choose scripts these days for your home productions, what are some of the things that you prioritise?

Jeet: There should be something unique and magical in the film and something that people will connect to.

In Boomerang, you play this maverick scientist Samar Sen, which too is different from the roles you usually do. How was this experience for you?

Jeet: It is a new subject and an original idea that came from a play — Punaray Ruby Ray, by Lokkrishti. My bit was there in the writing and I blindly followed it. The plot revolves around the humanoid robot Nisha, which was challenging to create, and for that a certain amount of preparation was needed, which Rukmini did. She is outstanding in the film.

What prompted you to consider casting Rukmini opposite you?

Jeet: We had worked with Rukmini in the past and we had a good experience. She is committed to her craft. We thought that was what we needed for the character of Nisha. The character needed an actor who was responsible because this kind of a film is very rare in the mainstream space. Any actor would have loved to do that role.

You have done several projects with Sauvik Kundu. What do you like about his directorial skills?

Jeet: This is Sauvik’s third film with our production. He is a very nice guy and we like him. As a technician, he is growing day by day. He is evolving. He is one of those guys who is focused on his work. He did a great job with our last films — Switzerland and Aay Khuku Aay. He is an honest filmmaker.

What are your forthcoming projects?

Jeet: I am currently shooting for my next Netflix project, Khakee-The Bengal Chapter.