Rituparno and I would fight over Byomkesh: Anjan Dutt

If all goes well, he will be leaving for Darjeeling on December 19. That's the day Byomkesh and Feluda will be locking horns at the box office. No, he isn't running away and the question of retiring hurt doesn't even arise.
Challenges of every kind are welcome for Anjan Dutt, maker of Byomkesh Phire Elo. But Anjan, the man, is not ready to cross swords with his industry mates.���Sandip is a friend," he tells us. If he was there, he surely would have attended the premiere ofBadshahi Angti in dhuti-panjabi and full Bengali gear. ���That would have zapped people, no?" he asks, breaking into a familiar grin, setting the ball rolling for an adda. Excerpts:
There's a strong buzz about Byomkesh Phire Elo despite it being pitted against Badshahi Angti, the next Feluda instalment.Is it because of brand Anjan Dutt or something else?
It is because of Byomkesh. It's a character that Bengalis have loved over the ages -right from my grandfather to my father to me to the next generations...There is some interest in the character, much like Feluda. The sales of Byomkesh books are still very high. There has always been a competition between the book sales of Byomkesh and Feluda, which I keep track of. It's the character, which is hyped. Also, Abir has been accepted and identified as Byomkesh, so everyone wants to see another edition. The character signifies strength, courage, honour, intelligence and reaffirms that Bengalis are actually not a confused, mad and pathetic race as portrayed nowadays. That it's my film is only an add-on. The competition in book sales will be carried over to the box office.
The industry seems divided over if it was at all a good decision to release both films on the same day...
Most of my films have released in either summer or monsoon.Winter is my favourite month as I love to celebrate Christmas and New Year. This time, I had finished the film long back and requested my producer if it could be released in winter. Then I heard that Feluda was also releasing on the same day . Even if the films had released within a few months, there would have been comparisons. But I think it will be a positive thing for the industry .Rather than running after Aamir Khan's next, the audience will come to the theatres to watch Bengali films. Fifty per cent of Bong Connection was shot in Houston, while half of Anuranan was canned in London. The films were about global Bengalis. Both released around the same time and got very good audience. I think that situation has not changed and we'll both benefit.
With Abir Chatterjee -hero of both the films -now promoting Byomkesh, has the olive branch being extended already?
The day Abir had decided to do Feluda, I was very hurt. We went through that sad phase of losing each other. But when finally I understood that he was not going to do Byomkesh anymore, I went up to him and said, 'Quickly let's make one more'. He had decided to join Feluda before he shot for this film. Since then, there has been no major problem between us. With this Byomkesh, Abir actually took it upon himself to act his best. He wanted to leave a mark. When we were shooting his house, he actually dressed it up. He said he needed a typewriter, among other things. He was constantly asking for props and the unit members were on their toes getting dated stuff. In the film, there are references of Byomkesh travelling to Delhi or meeting Vallabhbhai Patel, so the walls were done up with photographs of Byomkesh with Nehru and Patel. The desperation to make this film the best in the series was there, though I knew I was going to continue with the franchise. Abir, in fact, self-directed many scenes. He was more my AD than the chief AD. This was his last, he could have just acted, but he chose not to. After that, he got busy with Feluda and I had come to terms with the thought that he won't be there to promote Byomkesh. Then suddenly he came back after shooting for Kath Mundu and said he'll join in. He did not make us feel that he had ditched us and joined another camp; there was so much positive energy . In our last press meet, I asked him why he didn't act in my other films. This thought had not crossed my mind before. In fact, we are planning to work together...So, Priyanshu Chatterjee will turn Byomkesh with Bohni Patanga...The rights to Bohni Patanga are with Swapan Ghoshal. I don't know what he is going to do with it. I'll do three more and sign off the franchise with Bohni Patanga, which is set in MP . I'm planning to take Byomkesh outdoors -be it Dhanbad, Rajasthan or MP . In Bohni Patanga, all the characters are Hindi-speaking and I wish to end the series with a multilingual Byomkesh. Talks are on to get the rights, else I'll end it with Amriter Mrityu. About my lead actor, I don't want to give out the name right now. I have two people in mind. Both are from Mumbai. I'm concerned about what will happen to Saswata (Chatterjee, who plays Ajit). If Gupi goes, Bagha has to go. If Saswata or Ushasie (who plays Satyabati) stay, people will be reminded of Abir. I'm in a major mess, but will find a way out. Ideally , a fresh team would be good. It's not that I won't get actors, but I'm not getting anyone from Kolkata. For Satyabati, I once thought of Paoli, but I'll have to speak to Ushasie first.
There have been issues with the Byomkesh franchise right from the beginning. Were you fine with Rituparno Ghosh floating his own series?
No, I wasn't. We had long chats and would end up fighting. Ritu didn't see it as a problem. He said there can be a situation where everyone is doing Feluda like there are many who have done Sherlock Holmes. If the Feluda rights were available, there would have been a mad rush. Some would have been grabbed by me, some by Ritu, the later ones by Srijit maybe. But after Abir's first look was revealed, Ritu called me up and said he was not doing it. By that time, it was announced that Prosenjit was his Byomkesh. He did Satyanweshi much later. I didn't like the film, but I don't think he was fit physically even while shooting. I consider Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish to be his last film. Ritu was not there during the post-production of Satyanweshi. He was not a collaborator, but an auteur filmmaker, who took all his decisions. If he was there, he would have done it in a far better way .
What's your take on the Byomkesh series on TV?
I am not liking Ajit and I have already told the producer. But Gaurav (Chakrabarty) is really good. If he was a little older, I would have taken him as my Byomkesh. I spoke to Sabyasachi as well. I saw Gaurav in some films, where he didn't impress me at all. Here, he is pulling it off on his own.
Many claim that the clash of Feluda and Byomkesh will not be good for Abir...
It's a huge test for him. If Abir pulls it off, it would be proven that he is a very powerful actor. If 50% of the audience likes him in both, he has done it. I don't know if Abir is happy about it, but I told him that it is a huge challenge. The amount of confidence and grit he has shown in Byomkesh Phire Elo is amazing; he was literally calling the shots. In Feluda too, I'm sure he would have contributed in a big way .
About films other than Byomkesh, it's heard that you are remaking Jhinder Bandi with Nusrat, Abir and Parambrata Chatterjee...
I'm neither sure about this one or Hamlet. I have reached a situation where the steady audience I had till Abar Byomkesh is not there anymore. Dutta vs Dutta, Ganesh Talkies and Sesh Boley Kichhu Nei were good enough for me to just shut up for some time. I cannot say they were bad films. Okay , Ganesh Talkies was bad with nice moments in it. But then, I can cite 20 films with no parts at all. Apart from external issues, something in the films went wrong. Fact is, I was repeating things. Parts of Dutta vs Dutta were already seen in Ranjana, parts of Ganesh Talkies had been brilliantly executed in Bong Connection. Anjan Dutt was repeating himself and also the magic of casting was missing. Casting myelf is also not an exciting idea. I'll again cast myself, maybe as a villain. So I decided to take a long break. Meanwhile, I had long adda sessions with Srijit (Mukherji), Mainak (Bhaumik), Parambrata (Chatterjee) and Neel (Dutt), among many others. They helped me locate repetitions in dialogues, sequences, sets... No one told me don't write your own stories, I realized it on my own. So, I thought why not revisit classics in the last leg of my career -maybe Saradindu Bandyopadhyay , Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht or Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay . I know my literature. When the casting and the classics meet, my camera will start rolling.
How would you adjust your dates now that Mahabharat, where you play Vyas Dev, has been pushed back by quite a few months?
I am going to get busy from April. If Mahabharat happens after that, I don't know if I'll be able to join the band. I had time and was tired of saying no to good projects like Iti Mrinalini and took up films like Saari Raat, Mahabharat and Saheb Bibi Golaam... Also, I'm tired of speculations about what I share with Srijit. He and and I are great friends. I didn't do Baishe Srabon as I didn't like my character; in Chotushokne, there was a production problem. He gave me a great role in Nirbak and I took it up. About Mahabharat, everyone is confused. It involves the dates of many actors. I don't think Kamaleswar (Mukherjee) will rush into it.
Produced by RP Techvision Pvt Ltd, Byomkesh Phire Elo releases on December 19.