The trailer of Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole is turning heads for the right reasons. Compact, well-arranged and revealing only what’s necessary, the upcoming release’s trailer has the perfect pinch of salt and sugar, with some interesting anecdotes that’ll intrigue you enough and make you flock to the theatres. Hoichoi Studios’ first big screen release is directed by Debaloy Bhattacharya, and stars Abir Chatterjee in the lead as Deepak Chatterjee (a detective), Paran Bandyopadhyay as the writer Swapankumar (whose pulp thriller of the same name this film has been adapted from), Shruti Das as Tashi and Pratik Dutta as Ratanlal. The team got together for the trailer launch at Lake Mall recently.
As the film’s cast and crew gathered on stage for the trailer launch, the entire mall burst into cheers, wishing Abir and the team a very “Happy New Year”. The thrill is palpable and the essence of a larger-than-life world of Deepak Chatterjee and the terrorist Badami Hyena gets its fruition in the two-minute clip that’s packed with surrealism, vivid shots, and action. Abir is seen in a detective’s hat and a long overcoat, resembling the cape of a superhero and Paran Bandyopadhyay as Swapankumar (the forgotten author) quipping his way through. The flavour in Swapankumar’s stories lies in “magic” and not “logic”, iterates the author (as seen in the trailer) and the frames constructed adhere to the sensibilities of magic. The film, which releases this Friday, aims to revive a lost chapter in our culture... a chapter that’s trying to make a full-blown return to pop culture with touches of modernity attractive to the present generation and nostalgic for the generation prior.
“Once upon a time Swapankumar and Deepak Chatterjee’s world was extremely popular in Bengali culture but it’s divorced from the popular culture of current times. In the film, we’ve tried to probe the reason behind their world losing its former popularity and essence. We’ve addressed some questions like why with the rising popularity of thriller, crime, fiction and detectives, Deepak Chatterjee has taken a backseat in people’s hearts. However, even though the questions in our minds and what we’re probing seem too dark and poignant, the film isn’t too dark. Debaloy and his team have tried to create a film that’s generally not explored in Bangla cinema and how far they’ve been successful can be judged by the viewers themselves,” said Abir.
In a city threatened by the international terrorist Badami Hyena, a forgotten detective, Deepak Chatterjee, is brought out of retirement by his creator, prolific pulp writer Swapankumar. They unite with Ratanlal, Tashi and other characters in this pulp-drama-mystery-thriller film. There is also a glimpse of Deepak Chatterjee’s most glorious nemesis, Bajhpakhi.
“I’m really keen to see the reaction of audiences across generations. People who’ve read Deepak Chatterjee must be really nostalgic. But what intrigues me is how the younger generation takes to this experimental film. For this film, I’ve completely surrendered myself to Debaloy’s vision, because it’s his idea and he’s always been known for out-of-the-box ideas. This might be one of the films that Debaloy has made for the masses. Swapankumar’s Deepak Chatterjee has been carved out for the common people to enjoy but the point is why aren’t they a part of the popular culture anymore? We’re here to find that answer as well. But Deepak for me, is totally a mainstream detective, just lost in our bookshelves,” he added.
The song Missile utshob, composed by Amit Chatterjee and sung by Rishi Panda, has struck a chord. The name of the song refers to a concept deeply embedded within the film itself.
“Deepak Chatterjee isn’t just a detective, he’s a world in himself and Swapankumar is the creator of that world. He was probably Bengali culture’s first pulp writer, something that’s gone amiss from our literary culture, something which has gotten lost from our bookshelves. But the scenario isn’t the same across the world. There are plenty of international films and cultures that have taken its pulp fiction seriously and I guess it’s time we embrace it too. It’s time that we revive pulp detective Deepak Chatterjee and his creator Swapankumar in our lives because I feel the imaginative world that Swapankumar had created is an urgent need of the hour in our society. After all, slowly our world and our surroundings are becoming dull, grey and dark! People’s creative spirit, the power of imagination and the vibrancy of colours are slowly fading away. I think the film is just a step to bring it back,” said director Debaloy Bhattacharya.
“I wanted to create a dystopian world from a lens that I view the world of Deepak Chatterjee from. This city has become mundane, boring, monotonous and gloomy. The reason behind reiterating Swapankumar’s story was to recreate the imaginative world that we’ve lost. The basic challenge of shooting the film was how to see this city differently, and that’s what I’ve done in the movie. What seems like fun to the audience and viewers isn’t fun for Deepak Chatterjee. It’s actually pretty gritty for him. The film is laden with absurdity and that’s where you draw your fun from,” he added.
“We’ve all contributed days of hard work to make the film what it is and then we finally reached the stage of a trailer launch. We’ve created lots of memories surrounding the film. The film is unique and the songs are out of the box as well,” said music director Amit Chatterjee. “It’s intriguing to be a part of this out-of-the-box film, where I’m playing an out-of-the-box role. And I’m really excited about the release and to see how the audience reacts to it,” said Shruti. “The world created borders on the absurd because it belongs to the genre of pulp fiction. Reality and imagination in the entire film are pretty disconnected, so to understand the things that were on the border and crux of reality was a task and to understand what Debaloyda wanted to create was a challenge. To be a part of that world, grasp the role and humanise my character was the fun part of the project. I’ve tried my best to do it,” said the actress, whose quirky appearance in colourful shades of pink, purple, blue and red gives you a peak into the vibrant world that the film is beckoning us to.
Lake Mall pictures: B Halder
