In the August 11 film Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya, superstar Dev portrays the role of super sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi on screen for the first time. In this riveting tale, Byomkesh, accompanied by his trusted ally Ajit, finds himself entangled in the investigation of the untimely demise of Professor Ishan Chandra Majumder, believed to be caused by a snake bite.

Teaming up with DSP Purandar Pandey, Byomkesh sets out to find the secrets surrounding a buried treasure hidden within a fort. While Rukmini Maitra plays Satyabati, Ambarish Bhattacharya plays Ajit. Other cast members include Rajatava Dutta, Shantilal Mukherjee, Satyam Bhattacharya and Debesh Chattopadhyay. The film is directed by Birsa Dasgupta and jointly produced by Shadow Films and Dev Entertainment Ventures. “I love taking up a variety of roles, which challenge me as an actor. Playing the role of the legendary fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi has always been on my mind. Byomkesh’s intellect and relentless pursuit of the truth have always intrigued and amazed me. Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya promises to uphold the legacy of the character and deliver a thrilling cinematic experience that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats,” said Dev. A t2 chat...

There was a preview of the film Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya recently...

Directors like Premendu Bikash Chaki and Haranath Chakraborty watched it and they loved the film. They said that our chemistry (Dev and Rukmini) was amazing... they said that it is one of the best Byomkesh films that they have seen.

Five-six years ago you had mentioned that you weren’t really interested in the whole Byomkesh franchise. What changed after that?

Even six months ago I wasn’t in this zone. Producer Shyam (Sundar Dey) offered me this film. My line-up was ready for this year. My whole focus was then on taking Bagha Jatin pan-India. I was totally involved in that and its various procedures. But Shyam was insistent. Then one day he came to my office and narrated the story and talked about the huge canvas of the film. He asked me to talk to people whom I am very close to. I called up writer Subhenduda (Dasmunshi)... and he asked: “Is this Durgo Rahasya?” I said: ‘Yes’. He immediately told me to say yes to the film. I started my own research work and I realised that this film has the potential to be a great adventure thriller.

How did you decide on the director for Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya?

I was looking for someone who had not worked on Byomkesh before... so that he can see Byomkesh with a fresh pair of eyes. Birsa (Dasgupta) got in touch with me and said that he wanted to direct this film. I had worked with Birsa before and I knew that he can work on films with a huge canvas and scale. He is really good at that. He has this larger-than-life vision. I said yes to him... this was in April. And I told him that we have to release the film on August 11. I told him that our Byomkesh would visually be very different from the ones that were made before. Once we announced and the trolling started on social media, everyone on the team took it as a challenge to give their best for this Byomkesh film. We went out of our comfort zone to make this Byomkesh film on a grand scale.

How did you handle that initial trolling when the film was announced?

I became more determined, more daring and more creative. And I love to take on challenges. And whenever I have faced challenges, I like to give a fitting reply through my work. I don’t like talking about it. I let my work speak for itself. I know what I have to do.

How did you prepare for Byomkesh?

Byomkesh is an emotion for Bengalis. I worked on my body language and diction. I did not want to be compared with anyone. Byomkesh is always seen smoking cigarettes on screen. But I decided that my Byomkesh will not smoke since Satyabati is pregnant. My Byomkesh is for the family, for everyone. People who have seen the teaser and trailer are loving it and people who have seen the film feel this is the best Byomkesh.

Did you watch any Byomkesh films for your preparation?

I watched Chiryikhana... then bits of Byomkesh Pworbo and Byomkesh O Pinjrapol. After watching that I knew what I would not do. See, I did not want to be influenced by anyone. I just wanted to know how they had approached the story, from the point of view of a producer.

How did you zero in on the fort in Madhya Pradesh?

It was really tough... the story is set in 1943, and there are flashbacks in the same fort that goes back to a time period 200 years ago. We needed a fort that is perfect for the story. It was a race against time and the fort is a very important character in the film. Finally, we found the fort and we fell in love with it. It was perfect and challenging as well... a series of 400 steps leads to the top of the fort... so you can imagine... we had to climb that every day. There was no network also.

Why cast Ambarish as Ajit?

Because he is such a good actor. I have worked with him in quite a few films and I know what he can deliver. Also, I don’t like people typecasting actors in only certain kinds of roles. So I wanted to break that. Ambarish also provided his own input in the film. He added value to his character.

You have delivered consecutive blockbusters recently. As a producer, do you feel you are going through the best phase now?

I am happy that I can tell different kinds of stories. I am doing Byomkesh, Bagha Jatin, and Pradhan now. There are other films in the pipeline. Blockbuster Projapati also got the highest TRP on television. Now my goal is to see Bengali films make more than Rs 50 crore at the box office.