The question about his meteoric rise through the ranks from being a poorly educated delinquent to a police officer in 16 years is also very common. While this rise is certainly a stretch, it is definitely not impossible. Let us assume he gave up studies at the age of 10 at Class 4 at the local municipal school, to pursue criminal activities. Then again resumed studies at 15 when he was rehabilitated. By a normal course of time, he would pass his 10th at 21, 12th at 23, will be a graduate at 26, sit for his IPS at 27, finish his training at 30 and will be exactly the rookie with one year experience at 31 in 22shey Srabon. Given his sharpness, considering he fooled everyone in his adopted social ambit, backing of someone in the police force in the family and considering prodigies have achieved much more in much shorter time, this willing suspension of disbelief at his academic excellence should not be difficult if you are not discriminatory about the language and industry of this particular film.
● The most common question is that why didn’t we see Khoka-like traits in Abhijit in 22shey... in form of clues. Well, because I didn’t show you those moments! Even in case of Prabir in 22shey..., before the climax, there were no signs that the law-obsessed police officer would actually be a serial killer. Similarly in 22shey... there were no signs that Abhijit had such a violent past. However in DP, till the climax, there were small foreshadowing clues — Abhijit exactly mouthing Khoka’s motive for the signature in terms of a possibility; visually cutting from Khoka ordering chicken chow and chilli fish to Abhijit eating and being asked ‘Aar kichhu khaabe?’; him becoming strangely defensive when Raima asks, ‘Tumi Khoka ke dekhechho’; him exploding when she dismisses Khoka as just a serial killer like Prabirbabu and emphasising the man went much beyond that, actually defending himself; him becoming strangely numb at the first murder spot despite being a cop.
● The next common thing asked is how can a meek guy like Abhijit be the violent Khoka growing up? Well, though he was prone to knee-jerk fits of rage and was a marijuana user, tempered versions of Khoka’s rage and heroine addiction, he did come across as the meek underdog in comparison to Prabir. And that is the oldest trick in the world to disguise the identity of a criminal.
● Next what is pointed out is that how can a hardened criminal throw up at the sight of a gruesome murder albeit of a dear one. Well, that is what reformation and rehabilitation does, right? Good upbringing, improved surroundings, societal values instil capability in you to love, to have friends, to be sensitive, to care — this indignation of allowing reformation to go beyond clapping for Balmiki Prothibha staged by hardened murder convicts reeks horribly of high-nosed otherisation.
● Then comes the doubt about the difference in facial structures of Rwitobroto and Parambrata. How can a 15-year-old Rwito grow up to be Parambrata, how Gora would recognise him etc. Well, getting different actors to play different ages of a character is possibly a cinematic tool which has been used in thousands of films. And once you allow for that logic and understand we do not have resources to do a Boyhood here, there is no difference between a Rwito-Param and a Rwito-Anirban facial match, and the difference between the faces, whichever they might be, cannot be logically noted by Gora.
● The next popular question is why was Paltan limping when Khoka had his foot badly hammered. Well, we forget that Paltan was shot on the same left foot, the foot where Khoka was brutalised. The only difference? Khoka could afford corrective surgeries hence he recovered (I speak from personal experience here) while Paltan continued to carry the wound forever.
● Then comes the query that why did he wait till the end to kill Paltan. Simple, he wanted to know the reason why someone was impersonating his childhood. What was his identity? What did he want? Was he interested in blackmail? When he got all his answers, he removed one remaining trace of his dark past which could mar his rehabilitated life, threaten his long-standing act and deny him of the comfortable and safe life he was leading.
● Then comes a lot of confusion about Abhijit’s parents as described by him in 22shey and we saw here. This one was actually a no-brainer because the senior police officer clearly mentions the alternate reality and the planted story of his parents as told to him by his foster parents and as recounted to Prabir.
● The flaw which we missed correcting is a small improvisation on the part of the actor, which made my line ‘Aapni murder spot e dekechhen’ via a false message to a ‘Phone kore aapni murder spot e dekechhen’. Since Paltan had no history as a mimicry artiste, Rajat would have certainly smelt a rat if Abhijit’s voice was impersonated.
