After almost three years, director, actor, and singer-songwriter Anjan Dutt is back with Revolver Rohoshyo, a film based on pulp fiction Danny Detective written by himself. Dutt projects his film as a fun, witty and fully entertaining detective flick that has Suprobhat Das playing the role of Subrata Sharma, a crime reporter who loses his job and joins as a secretary in a detective agency Danny Detective Inc, that's on the verge of closing down. Dutt plays the role of Danny the detective's apparition and in this free-wheeling chat, he talks about the same and more.
Did you always want to turn your books into films?
I always thought of turning Danny Detective into a feature film franchise. I first tried it out on the OTT platform to test audience acceptance. The whole idea was to write a series of detective stories, to make it click with the readers and then make it a film franchise.
It was in 2010 that I first made a detective film Byomkesh Bakshi but after six films I decided to give it up since every other person started doing Byomkesh. I lost interest in it but I always wanted to create a detective franchise nonetheless since I know the genre well and grew up reading detective novels. So, I created my own detective series and then thought of turning it into films. The web series was a part of the long exercise. Hopefully, if it works well I will make 3-4 more films on Danny Detective.
What sets apart the sleuth in Revolver Rohoshyo from the rest of his ilk?
In every other film be it regional or global, detectives are always projected as super intelligent, who always operate from their homes. But reality is different and Danny is an ex-cop who opened a detective agency where Subrata Sharma joins as his secretary after losing his job. Subrata is very lazy, neither brainy nor very tough, and can't even handle a gun. He is a next-door guy who studied law and is just about happy to earn enough money to run his home. It's only when Danny got shot dead that he unwillingly got involved in one case after other and falls in love with his job.
He is using Danny's gun and dark glasses and starts liking the profession and I play Danny's ghost who comes and goes every now and then, talking to Subrata throughout the film. So Subrata doesn't deduce things like other detectives, he simply stumbles upon things accidentally.
Was Suprobhat Das always your first choice as Subrata?
I wanted to have a detective who is real and credible with no superpower, someone who falls in love, gets drunk when ditched, gets beaten up, and asks all the wrong questions. I wanted him to have all the vices to turn him all the more real and funny.
Whatt is your character Danny like?
It's the funniest and most eccentric character you have ever seen in Bengali cinema and I decided to play it myself since I never did this kind of role and no one offered me such a funny, wacky character.
Your upcoming projects?
I am making Chalchitro 80, a fun comedy biography that pays an authentic tribute to late filmmaker Mrinal Sen on his 100th birth anniversary. It's about 26 years old me and 59 years old Mrinal when we met for the film Chalchitro.
Revolver Rohoshyo is running in theatres now