Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s Durga puja release Bohurupi is a high-octane action chase drama, starring Abir Chatterjee as the supercop Sumanta Ghosal and Ritabhari Chakraborty as his beautiful wife Pori. Set in the mid ‘90s in West Bengal and based on true events, the film also has Shiboprosad as Bikram, the bohurupi-cum-bank robber, and Koushani Mukherjee as his wife Jhimli. We speak with Abir and Ritabhari to know more about their characters in Bohurupi. Excerpts:
Bohurupi is a big Puja release. What does a Puja release mean to you?
Abir: Bengalis love coming to theatres to watch Bengali films, especially during the Puja, which leads the makers to release their big-budget films during this time. Last year I had Raktabeej by the same makers, but the added advantage this year is that I have Shiboprosad as my co-actor. While Raktabeej had a tagline, ‘game changer’, Bohurupi too is the ‘first Bengali chase drama’. Raktabeej was a massive hit, and I can very well imagine what the audience is expecting from us this year.
Ritabhari: I kind of agree with him. The makers have been receiving feedback over the years to explore different and unique areas and scale in our limited way. With this film I think, we have surpassed those obstacles, kept it true to reality but on a larger, cinematic scale, never diverted from the Bengali culture.
We shall see Abir as a cop again this Puja. Tell us in detail.
Abir: I won’t say ‘again’. Pankaj Sinha in Raktabeej was from the intelligence department. But in Bohurupi, sub-inspector Sumanta Sen is a uniformed officer, and the audience will see me in a new avatar. They have seen me as a uniformed army officer in Avrodh Season 2, but as a police officer, this is my first. And the relation of Sumanta and Pori, his wife, the challenges they face, how they handle the situations, is not a subplot, but rather is a focal point in the storyline, instrumental in the film’s progress. Whether or not he can juggle between his professional and personal life, adds to Sumanta’s character.
Ritabhari: But the equation is very different from what Abir and I had in Fatafati. For Pori, Sumanta, whom she lovingly calls 'Babi', is her whole world. She is extremely dependent on her husband, more so because she’s a loner. When a person grows up in a situation where nobody understands her, and when one day she meets a person who understands her and loves her for what she is, the latter becomes her everything. And not getting that person when you need him the most is traumatic and painful, and it is something that Pori goes through.
Have you met any bohurupis perform before? Share your memory/experience.
Abir: Not personally. But bohurupis have worked in the film, and have contributed a lot. It is also a lost art form of Bengal. If we can try to get the artform back, that would be an added takeaway from the film.
Ritabhari: I haven’t met anyone here in Bengal, but I met similar masked and face-painted people in Papua New Guinea where I was shooting just a few weeks back. And, it’s still very popular and trending there. It was fascinating to watch how they would completely transform themselves into the character they have decked as. But yes, our bohurupi culture is different, because of the local flavours and folklore.
Is there any genre that you are really looking forward to playing?
Ritabhari: I want to do more horror. I already shot one with Mainak Bhaumik called Grihastha, and I have been pestering him to write something similar because I had so much fun shooting it. And I would love to do a purely romantic film, opposite Abir. There used to be so many before, now there is none.
Abir: My last two consecutive releases were love stories, and I think I need to go back to thrillers. I might like to do a socially and politically relevant film— something heavy duty of sorts.
What is your take on Puja shopping? Do you give inputs to your stylist?
Ritabhari: I shop throughout the year. There’s no room in my house anymore. At times, I give inputs for my styling. I follow a lot of global fashion magazines, designers and fashion trends, which always keeps me on my toes. I discuss with my stylist during the shoots or big events to figure out what we can do to stand out.
Abir: I have nothing in my system that can make me go out and shop. That department is taken care of by my wife Nandini, thankfully. She is the director, executive producer and actor, and I’m the producer when it comes to getting my outfits. She decides what I will wear too. I have complete faith in her (laughs).
Bohurupi hits theatres on October 8.