Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya is having a busy year with three back to back releases on OTT platforms. He was seen in Rocket Boys as Professor Mehdi Raza and as the antagonist in Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin’s Looop Lapeta. He is now seen as DSP Ghosh in Season 2 of SonyLIV’s web series Undekhi. The much-awaited crime-thriller is directed by Ashish R Shukla and it picks up from where the first season ended on a cliffhanger with DSP Ghosh trying to save Koyal from Rinku. We chat with the actor about his role in Undekhi, his love for acting and the road ahead.
Tell us about your role in Season 2 of Undekhi.
I am reprising the role of DSP Ghosh from the earlier season. He is a righteous cop from Sundarbans, West Bengal, who comes to Manali, Himachal Pradesh in pursuit of a case. Set in Manali, Undekhi revolves around a horrid crime and the cat and mouse chase that ensues between the perpetrators and the ones seeking justice. Throughout the journey of fighting crime, DSP Ghosh figures out no one is innocent and all have hidden motives and are dishonest. He only must get justice. The character is very well written with layers.
With Undekhi Season 2, it’s your third release this year. How do you feel?
It feels great to have a release every month. All the characters are different from each other and this has a great recall value for the audience. In Looop Lapeta, I played the role of a gangster, in Rocket Boys a Nuclear Physicist and Undekhi, a cop. All the adulation is very overwhelming and the exposure and experience I gained from these varied roles is immense.
You work both in Bollywood and Bengali cinema with equal finesse. How do you juggle working in both industries?
I love acting and working in different languages is not an issue. Instead, the opportunity to work with so many new directors and actors is fun and a great learning experience. Working in the Bengali movie industry is no doubt special as it’s my home and I get to work in my mother tongue, also I get to visit my family who still live there.
Do you have any ideal role which you would love to do in future?
I am up for all sorts of roles. I want to work with as many people as possible, I don’t have any ideal role as such.
Growing up, did you always want to be an actor?
When I was a kid, like in any middle-class Bengali household, I was into sports, music, tabla and singing. It was when I was in college that I got introduced to acting while doing group theatre. Then steadily, I started to perform more plays in Kolkata and received many awards for my acting and that’s when I decided to follow this path. Then I enrolled with the National School of Drama (NSD) to perfect my craft. After finishing college, I came to Mumbai and soon got my debut movie Monsoon Wedding in 2001 and since then, I have been working hard as an actor. It’s been 20 years now that I have ventured into acting and I love every bit of the experience.
What are your future projects?
This year is the season of sequels. Gone Game Season 2, Rocket Boys Season 2 are in the making, apart from a few other movies which are in the pipeline.
The show is streaming on Sony Liv.
— reshmichakravorthy@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @reshmi190488