As the excitement surrounding the release of Srijit Mukherji’s Durga Puja release Dawshom Awbotaar continues to grow in the days leading up to its premiere, t2 sat down with two of its lead actors Anirban Bhattacharya and Jaya Ahsan for a freewheeling chat on their journey through its making, their roles, their expectations from the film, and much more.

There’s a huge buzz around Dawshom Awbotaar since its trailer was released. How excited are you?

Anirban: Overwhelmed. There is always excitement in the air when any film by Srijit Mujherji is about to be released, but the kind of response we have seen since the trailer of this film dropped, is unprecedented.
Jaya: I left for Bangladesh soon after the trailer launch. There too it has generated a tremendous impact.

Did you need to prepare specially for your character, who you’ve already portrayed once in Vinci Da?

Anirban: Not really, as I was asked to approach this role with no context. As it’s a prequel, I got the opportunity to define a totally new character, who would eventually develop into the one we find in Vinci Da.

Tell us something more about your character Bijoy Poddar. What did you enjoy most about being him? What did you find most difficult to portray?

Anirban: The highlight of Bijoy Poddar’s character is that he is extremely blunt and direct. That part was enjoyable. The difficult part was matching up to Prabir Roy Choudhury’s cop, which enjoys cult status among Bengali film lovers and for good reason. But I have tried my best.

So how did that chemistry play out?

Anirban: The chemistry had to happen because it was so important to the film. This pair makes up a unique duo; you could even call it a bromance. Our director was very categorical in communicating to us how crucial their chemistry was and extremely meticulous in underscoring it in every scene that the two of us shared. I believe we have pulled it off quite well but we need to wait for the audience’s verdict.

Jaya, the on-screen chemistry between Anirban and you is already the talk of the town…

Jaya: You see, as Anirban and I are long-time co-workers, we know each other well and have a friendly relationship off-screen too. In this film, the script helped to a large extent to add that special zing to our on-screen romance, which forms an important part of the film. The rest of it was on-the-spot improvisation and I guess, judging from the reactions on social media, we did a good job!
Anirban: We have worked together on four occasions so far already. As you probably know, except in Ek Je Chhilo Raja, we shared a romantic relationship in the others. So we had our previous experiences to fall back upon when the romantic angle had to be explored in our relationship. That really helped.

What was it like working with Srijit Mukherji once again?

Jaya: Srijit’s obsession with dialogues is well-known. But I must say that this is what takes his films to another level. With him, you just need to be very careful how you speak your lines. I must also mention that, when working with him after five years, I found him a much calmer person.
Anirban: I have worked on nine projects with him so far and these can be divided into two phases – during the first, he would instruct me and I would obey his commands. The second phase, which began with Gumnaami, is the camaraderie phase, which is what an ideal director-actor relationship should be. I truly enjoy this phase. As my friendship with him has helped me understand him as a person, I now realise the element of magic or surprise he has loaded his words with. So I am able to articulate them suitably. In fact, I had great fun speaking my lines in this film, which is power-packed with words operating on multiple levels.

Jaya, what was your impression when you saw Anirban’s work for the first time and how have you seen him evolve into the actor he is today?

Anirban Bhattacharya and Jaya Ahsan star in Dawsom Awbotaar, a film by Srijit Mukherji

Jaya: I first met him on the set of Arindam Sil’s Eagoler Chokh. Since then, I have followed his work eagerly. It is phenomenal how he has grown and matured as an actor, not only through experience, but by consistently sharpening his craft. I discovered the range of his skills when I watched him perform on stage. I am a huge fan of his stage performances and always make it a point to watch all his plays. But all said and done the pleasure of working with him as a co-actor is unbeatable. And the most amazing thing about him is that in spite of being such a fine actor and enjoying such a huge fan following, he has retained his simplicity and is so grounded.

Anirban, your impression of Jaya as an actress …

Anirban: I saw her work for the first time in the Bangladeshi production Guerrilla (2011) and was completely bowled over by her beauty and acting skills. And then straightaway, I met her during the shoot of Eagoler Chokh where I was cast opposite her! We were supposed to enact a very difficult scene together on the very first day itself. With me acting in just my second film, I was obviously very nervous. But she made it simple for me and we gelled well in that film. After that, I have watched nearly all of Jaya’s works and have been a fan of all of them.

Jaya, what struck you the most about your character and made you want to take up the role?

Jaya: If you judge by the length of the role or complexity of the character, this is one of the most challenging that I have ever been offered. Though I am not seen as a grey character, I play someone who deals with the dark side of people’s lives. Also, since the other two main characters (Prabir Roy Choudhury and Bijoy Poddar) are both familiar and popular characters to contemporary audiences, I had to ensure that my character was in sync with them.

Share with us your 22shey Srabon memories…

Anirban: I had watched it at Navina Cinema with my then girlfriend. I was completely blown away by the film. It left an impact on me that is unforgettable to this day. I think it left an impression on our entire generation. The use of cuss words may have shocked some, but I feel it was a candid reflection of social behaviour. In fact, it had a kind of cathartic effect on many who desist from releasing their pent-up feelings. The fact that it enabled the release of emotions by proxy for the audience, was brilliant. More importantly, I loved the film for the twist in its tail. 22shey Srabon didn’t become a cult film just like that — its songs, exceptional performances, Bumba-da and Param-da’s (Prosenjit Chatterjee and Parambrata Chattopadhyay) chemistry, Goutam Ghose’s incredible acting, the Abir-Param-Raima (Abir Chatterjee-Parambrata Chattopadhyay-Raima Sen) trio and the innovative cinematography — it was a film full of powerful elements. It was a film that opened endless possibilities for our cinema.
Jaya: I saw the film much after I saw other works of Srijit. I found it outstanding in every respect and I feel it is a landmark movie of our time.