Sushant Singh Rajput#32-Never forgotten~u will always be in our heart - Page 4

Gripping role but a much cooler & easygoing @itsSSR let's us in d world f @byomkeshbakshy Interview soon on #TimesNow

He is known for making out-of-the-box films"from comedy drama Khosla ka Ghosla as his directorial debut, to black comedy Oye Lucky Lucky Oye! and intense thriller Shanghai. Director Dibakar Banerjee will be back in theatres on April 3 with his latest offering, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, a crime thriller based on the character of a young Bengali spy by the same name.

Dibakar says it was his fascination for the spy ever since he started reading and understanding him that made him take up the subject. "I have read Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's stories on Byomkesh Bakshi, and also Satyajit Ray's Feluda. Those were funny detective stories," he says, adding another reason: a detective film of this stature has never been made in Hindi. "Films on Byomkesh have been made in the 50s five to six times, but there hasn't been a spy thriller. We often copy James Bond, but Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is a mystery-thriller," he says.

The film is set in 1943 and Byomkesh is not the suave spy like Bond but a typical dhoti-clad Bengali. This fact, however, didn't bother the filmmaker. "Dhoti is one garment which has been worn by everyone in India and our film is set in a period when it was the only garment worn. Byomkesh is not stylish but he is ahead of his times and can predict what will happen in the future. It may sound normal to us now, but in 1943 there was novelty attached to it. In 1943, Japan was going to attack Calcutta, the British were ruling us, and there was bombing from Burma by the Japanese. Calcutta became a major centre during World War II and as a result a hub for smugglers. A place where there is crime and war makes an interesting work area for a detective," he says.

Dibakar says when he signed Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor did not come with any baggage. "We both wanted this film to happen. Short of producing the film, Sushant did everything to make it happen"from taking workshops for a month, learning to walk in a dhoti, practising to be a typical Bengali and even eating fish, keeping the bones on the side of a plate."

The toughest part for the film, however, according to the filmmaker, was research. "It took almost two years. We met a lot of people who were in their 90s and took audio interviews, capturing their memories. How siren would be blown during bombarding, how an elderly man made the sound of siren with his mouth"we recreated that particular sound"what the hawkers sold during the time, how they called out, what clothes they wore, what kind of food they ate. We recorded everything and tried to keep it as authentic as possible."

At the same, Dibakar says, he too is no less than a detective in real life. "I observe a lot and that identification is there with a detective. I believe that a detective can see deeper than an average person can. When I was researching in Kolkata, I spoke with a 90-year-old policeman who gave me his school-time pictures and asked me identify him. I knew what he wanted, so I pointed at him in the picture. He said, Arre waah, you are a true Byomkesh'," says Dibakar with a grin.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, the director says, does not just stop at the spy. "We have his assistant played by Anand Tiwari and he is a reinterpretation of Ajit, and those who have read Byomkesh will find the character very interesting. We also have a villain in the film but would not like to reveal who is playing him. There is a clue in every scene and we want them to compete with Byomkesh."

A self-confessed history buff, the director says he has always been captivated by it. "I have always been a history nut. I find it exciting that people in every age and era are the same; only the situations change. We think of history in terms of how people in crowns spoke, like how Sohrab Modi spoke in films, but they didn't speak like that. They were regular people like you and me. Not many know that during Mohammed Bin Tughlaq's time biryani was specially made in blue colour and Ibn Batuta, who was a traveller during those times, wrote about this. Another has written that during Shah Jahan's time, there used to be traffic jams on the bridge over the Yamuna river, as it is these days," says Dibakar.

For a filmmaker who has churned out hit after hit, box office numbers don't matter. "I have always wanted a large number of audiences to watch my films. Whether it's a festival or theatre screening, arty or commercial film, I don't want to define myself; let the audience decide for themselves. I enjoy my films as audience and have loved what I have made so far," he says.

Will he ever try his hand at romance? "Byomkesh has romance and a definite relationship between a man and a woman. But no, I haven't planned anything on romance yet. It depends on what I write. Intriguing stories of human psyche or society are more important parts of my life. I love political thrillers and social dramas. A pure love story has to be an interesting one. For now, I am planning to take a long holiday. Shooting for this film has been strenuous," he concludes.

Credit: Anu

Success sits lightly on the shoulders of this actor, and we find out why: Sushant Singh Rajput reveals a little known side of his personality, that of the shy introvert who found it difficult to communicate, and then found his way in the world through dance and theatre.

For someone who's made a career out of charming millions of fans, it's surprising indeed to know that for the first 18 years of Susant Singh Rajput's life, he found himself unable to communicate with most people. A sheltered upbringing and his own introverted nature made things difficult for him indeed, whenever he'd step out into the outside world.

Speaking to us ahead of the release of his film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, the actor shows no traces of his former crippling shyness. Lively, with an easy smile and a sporting an M.S.Dhoni hairstyle, Sushant admits to us, "I had this inability to communicate all my life, especially for the first 18 years. I wanted to say things; wanted to do things, but couldn't. Because I was from a big family, I was the youngest one and I was a pampered child, I didn't know how to deal with strangers. I'd step out of my house and I'd be clueless. I just didn't know what to say... I was always that shy, introvert guy who's into physics, chemistry and math."

Looking for a way out of his social awkwardness, Sushant found it in dance. After training at Shiamak Davar's dance academy, Sushant performed a routine on stage " and it changed his life. "I still remember that day," the actor recalls. "I was dancing in the front row... there were lights on my face and I could see a few of the people in the audience and without even using words, I could see people getting affected by it. I still get goose bumps when I think back on it."

It was Shiamak Davar who advised Sushant to try theatre. The actor joined the legendary Barry John and found, that through the characters he portrayed on stage, he could say everything he'd always wanted to. Sushant says the sensation was "liberating".

After a rather successful stint on TV, Sushant quickly followed it up with Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che, Maneesh Sharma's Shuddh Desi Romance, Raj Kumar Hirani's p.k. and now, Dibaker Banerjee's Byomkesh Bakshy. Each of these directors, says Sushant, has a different perspective, and this in turn has helped Sushant evolve his craft.

"As an actor working with them, they were all different from each other. Like Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) has an actor's approach to filmmaking and he is very passionate. Maneesh has been making this kind of cinema from his film school days. Mr Hirani, after having written such a brilliant film, he has an editor's point of view and Dibakar, he doesn't tell you what to think, he will give you his interpretation and ask you, as an audience, to make up your mind," Sushant says.

On the subject of filmmakers he's worked with, is all now well between him and Abhishek Kapoor, after Sushant opted out of his Fitoor? "Of course," says Sushant. "In fact, Gattu saw the Byomkesh and called me, he was so excited. He said after the film, let's sit down and work on an idea." (🥳⭐️) And how does he look back on his experience of working with Raj Kumar Hirani in p.k, which is among the highest-grossing Bollywood films at the box office? "My reason for being in this industry is very different," says Sushant. "People tell me, Don't lie, do not say you are immune to fame and money', but you know what? Yes, I do get seduced by it. But that is not what I work for. For me, the biggest high was to hear Mr Hirani call out action' to me."

This brings us to his upcoming film, Neeraj Pandey's M.S. Dhoni biopic, for which Sushant has immersed himself into the preparations. From the physical transformation to adapting the mannerism of the cricket star, he explains the process: "It's slightly complicated, because you are imitating (this person) and at the same time, you are asked to experience the same emotions (as him). And we don't know ourselves or what we want... like sometimes, I feel I'm happy the way I am, why should I work; at others, I feel ambitious and I want to be number 1. So, we have no complete idea of our own personalities. In that context, to understand somebody else's and get it right... it's a little abstract."

And if there was a key to understanding Sushant Singh Rajput as an actor, what would that be? "I think I understand emotions at a deeper level (than most) because I have seen so many things in life," he replies. "I have seen highs and lows, I've taken risks and I've assessed my decisions. I lost my mother at a very early age, dropped out of college, and with no degree or money, I thought about what I wanted to do... So I think I come across as somebody who is actually experiencing the emotions he portrays for the cameras."

My bigtime #crush #SushantSinghRajput a.k.a #DetectiveByomkeshBakshy :) #blush falling for ur #smile... #Interview airing soon on #BollywoodNow#fangirlmoment

reporter posted same pic with different caption & i loved it :)