Anjan Dutt’s Revolver Rohoshyo has Suprobhat Das in the role of a crime reporter, Subrata Sharma, who takes up temporary work as a secretary in a rundown detective agency called Danny Detective Inc. after losing his job. Suprobhat tells us what it has been like to collaborate with Anjan Dutt and move from OTT to feature films with this character.
You are an Anjan Dutt fan and now you’ve become a regular in Anjan Dutt films. How does it feel?
Suprobhat: Actor Anjan Dutt has inspired me a lot. I learn from him every moment. Even if I’m chatting with him or walking with him, I learn something or the other. Director Anjan Dutt knows exactly what he wants. He is just like a friend.
My friend Papai, who was an assistant director, connected me with Anjan Dutt for the first time. It was during the time of Byomkesh O Agniban that I met him in person. I was offered the role of a policeman. The role was not that big. During one of the scenes, I kept fidgeting with a paperweight on the table. That intrigued Anjan Dutt very much. He started increasing my scenes. With Revolver Rahashya, we’re completing our 13th work together. I feel really grateful. We are like a family now.
How did you react when Anjan Dutt offered you the role of Subrata Sharma?
Suprobhat: Once when Anjanda and I were chatting, I asked him why he didn’t write stories. His songs too have a story. After that we went on to do the web series Danny Detective Inc. Everyone loved the series. Later, when I went to visit him in his house one day, he said he had written a book and showed me the cover page. It had my picture. I was blown away. He said, ‘While I was writing, your face was continuously coming to my mind. Get ready, you’re my Subrata Sharma!’ I was extremely happy. I don’t look like a traditional hero. I’m not tall. I am not fair. On top of that, the main character was a detective. It was a big thing for me.
What are your best memories from Revolver Rahashya?
Suprobhat: An Anjan Dutt film unit is a little different. He is very emotional about his work. He has so much passion. My best memory is shooting a scene where both the camera and I had to run at the same pace. Any interruption could have ruined the shot. At the end, I had to fall. I did that scene 12-14 times. After I reached the hotel, I found my left leg had turned black waist down from a blood clot. The doctor said that I got a hairline fracture.
You have already played the character on OTT. What new elements have you added in the film?
Suprobhat: Subrata Sharma in the web series Danny Detective Inc. was not a complete detective. He got involved in a case without his will. Subrata Sharma in Revolver Rahashya has already solved five cases. He is now a stronger detective. He is more confident, more experienced. Reading the book has helped me understand the little nuances of the character.
Did you base your characterisation on any popular detective figure?
Suprobhat: I have not taken any references from any detective character. I have tried to create Surbrata Sharma as a different detective. A detective doesn’t always mean that the person is extraordinary. Detectives on screen so far have been created as a hero who had all the desired characteristics. A detective is like any other ordinary person. He is not larger than life. Subrata Sharma is a Bengali and he is a man of integrity. If someone pays him to solve a case and Subrata finds out that the person is himself the criminal, he’ll throw the money on his face.
Have you always wanted to be an actor?
Suprobhat: I am the youngest son of a typical Bengali family. I knew I wanted to be an actor, and my family was culturally inclined. I wanted to become a footballer too. I loved football. There were days when I missed my exams and ran away from school to play football. I was very young when I started working. I worked in a shipping company and my job took me to a lot of places. When I was young, I did theatre in Kolkata. I left my job to pursue acting full-time. My first released film is Hoi choi, directed by Debarati Gupta.
