Actor Debasish Mondal on his Hindi feature, 'Jagan'

Jagan is a Hindi feature film directed by Sanjib Dey. The film is based on a man named Jagga, who belongs to a unique mental category and lives in a small village in Odisha. The story explores primarily two aspects of his life: his fascination with spirituality and his conflicts with his brother, which lead to a series of events that shape his journey. I play Bishu, Jagan’s younger brother, who works as a cycle mechanic. Bishu is frustrated with the daily chaos caused by his brother and tries to navigate these challenges in his own way.

This film has been submitted to various film festivals worldwide, and its first screening will be at the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF). We are thrilled that the film made its world premiere in front of Kolkata’s cinephile audience.

Actually, my first Hindi feature film was Children of War, released in 2014, followed by a few others. For this role, I received a call from the casting director, who offered it to me. The director, after watching some of my previous work, felt I was the right fit for the role of Bishu.

My acting journey began in 2004, but I started professionally in 2012 after graduating from the National School of Drama. Since then, it has been an exhilarating experience exploring the diverse characters I’ve played across theatre, films, and web shows. After Mandaar, I have been fortunate to play a variety of roles in films and web series. I noticed that audience expectations have grown, which increases my responsibility to deliver performances that resonate with them. It has also given me the confidence and drive to take on more challenging roles that push my boundaries as an actor. I am grateful to have had opportunities to portray characters with depth and variety, including my role in Jagan.

As an actor, I constantly crave roles that challenge me and meet audience expectations. I strive for characters that are distinct from what I’ve done before, so there’s no point in being entirely satisfied with the roles I get. The bar always gets higher. Even when roles are similar, or there’s an element of typecasting, I make an effort to bring unique shades and nuances to each character. That’s the part I have control over, and I take it seriously.

Currently, I have completed one Hindi and one Bengali feature film, which are slated for release soon.

Jagan is set to travel across film festivals worldwide. I believe that very soon, audiences will have the opportunity to watch it in theatres or on an OTT platform.