After getting immense love and appreciation for his web journey and The Eken (film), detective Ekendra Sen is winning hearts with The Eken — Ruddhaswas Rajasthan, which released worldwide on April 14. Directed by Joydeep Mukherjee, the film centres around Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarti) and his two companions played by Suhotra Mukhopadhyay and Somak Ghosh. A Telegraph chat with Anirban....
How did it feel to be in Jaisalmer for The Eken — Ruddhaswas Rajasthan?
I travelled to Rajasthan for the first time for the shoot of this film. And we had an amazing time there. I had watched Sonar Kella multiple times, but it is a different experience watching the fort unravel itself in front of you. It feels extremely overwhelming watching it from such close quarters. We got to know so much about the place; about its history. I actually didn’t have words to describe it when I saw Sonar Kella for the first time.
There are scenes of you riding a camel...
And it’s the last time I am getting on one (laughs). It was quite scary. There are two very different kinds of sequences — one is the pleasure ride and the other is the chase sequence. Getting on and off a camel can be done somewhat smoothly if one is careful. I enjoyed it. But when it came to the chase sequence, it was something else. When they start running it becomes very difficult to hold on. It took three days to shoot that sequence, and it was really hectic. After completing those scenes in the desert in the heat, we started shooting for the night scenes. For those three days, I had to take painkillers after the shoot would get over.
How was the weather?
We were really prepared. Since it was December-end we had taken all our woollens. But at night it was warm, so we had to switch on the A/C in our hotel rooms. In the daytime, the heat was sweltering. But the moment you would stand in the shade, you’d start feeling cold. It was so unusual and unpredictable.
What was your takeaway from the shoot?
Getting nostalgic inside Sonar Kella. You’ll get goosebumps inside it. The desert looks beautiful at night with the full moon. One day, while returning to the hotel, we turned off the headlights of our cars, and everything just changed so dramatically. The desert was bathed in moonlight. The sky was full of stars. It was a memorable moment.
How do you look back on the journey now?
It feels unbelievable. Eken Babu became so popular within such a short span of time... and the immense popularity of the series paved the way for films. Eken Babu has this huge connection because he is very adorable and loveable. We have not seen detectives like Eken Babu before. Eken is not larger than life like the others. He is the guy next door. He loves to eat, talks a lot, and comes up with poor jokes. He is unassuming. At the same time, he is very intelligent, sharp and properly trained. The contrasting characteristics have made him very interesting.
Picture: Rashbehari Das
