Remember the hilarious comedy-drama film franchise Masti -- how three husbands bored of their wives tried to have some fun together leading to trouble in Paradise? If there’s any recent film in Bengali that takes us on a similar fun marital ride, it has to be Bibaho Obhijaan (2019). With two close friends Anupam and Rajat getting into hilarious situations while trying to escape from their frustrated married lives, Bibaho Obhijaan had all the right ingredients to tickle the audience.
The film starring Rudranil Ghosh, Ankush Hazra, Anirban Bhattacharya, Priyanka Sarkar, Sohini Sarkar and Nusraat Faria was an instant hit and the makers have returned with the second instalment of the film, on May 25, called Abar Bibaho Obhijaan directed by Soumik Halder. Laced with humour, the comic caper takes the three couples to Thailand and we couldn't resist the opportunity to interview the most-loved pair in the film, Gansha and Malati, played to perfection by Anirban Bhattacharya and Priyanka Sarkar.
Did you expect that Gansha and Malati would get so popular with the audience?
Anirban: Absolutely not. Also, it was the first time that I was going out of my comfort zone as an actor to try out a new genre, something that initially I was very apprehensive about, whether I could pull off convincingly or not. I never thought that Gansha and Malati would become such a craze among the audience and stay relevant to date.
Priyanka: I had no idea it would become such a huge hit. Even today I hear many saying that when they feel low they watch the dialogues between Gansha and Malati from the film on social media.
What about Gansha and Malati do you think clicked with the audience?
Anirban: They had a rustic raw and innocent openness about them which clicked instantly with all kinds of audiences. Whether it was Malati’s reaction on the first night of their marriage, or Gansha proposing to her, they were all so innocent.
Priyanka: Yes, I think, all of us have that innocence somewhere deep within us and it struck a chord spontaneously.
How have the characters matured in Abar Bibaho Obhijaan?
Priyanka: In this film, they are already married but didn’t get the time to enjoy the marriage life like other couples as a lot happened in between. How they are staying together, whether they are staying together at all, or something is brewing, that will all be revealed in this film.
Anirban: The script has been written in such a manner that the characters remain essentially the same as individuals – innocent and raw. But their outer appearances have changed with time.
The film has a hilarious plot set in Thailand where the wives are chasing their husbands to find out what they’re up to…
Priyanka: Yeah, it’s a fun script, and as they say, there’s no better detective than a wife, here too, the film shows how one can’t hide anything from a wife. The fun part is that all these misunderstandings take place in a foreign land where the language is also a constraint, leading to even more hilarious situations.
Anirban: The way the marriages are shown in the film is totally fictional -- no marriage is like that. The plot is built around characters who happen to be husbands and wives but it’s all about free-wheeling fun and adventure and has no remote connection with serious marital issues. It’s a bizarre and out-and-out fun movie.
Priyanka: The important thing here is fun and friendship. It shows how at the end of it all they all go back to each other.
Anirban: Yes, the whole idea and essence of love are there throughout – they can’t live without each other and a lot happens in between.
Anirban, you are rarely seen in out-and-out fun films, how was your experience of acting in a movie like this?
Anirban: I am extremely grateful to be a part of the films Bibaho Obhijaan and Abar Bibaho Obhijaan because they have given me a different kind of reach and exposed me to a very different set of audience. Later, when I went to film in the interiors of Bengal, I have seen how they identify me with Gansha aka Bullet Singh.
What inspires you as an actor?
Priyanka: When new directors offer me something very interesting and challenging, giving me a chance to explore my acting abilities.
Anirban: I was inspired by people initially but now I think I have to shift my point of inspiration.
Upcoming projects?
Anirban: There’s an upcoming web series Byomkesh Durgorohoshyo and a film Dasham Abatar, both by Srijit Mukherji.
Priyanka: I have a film Kurban by Saibal Mukhopadhyay and wed series Chotolok for ZEE5.
Abar Bibaho Obhijaan is running in theatres now