Filmmaker Sandip Ray on why he made 'Nayan Rahasya'
Filmmaker Sandip Ray is back with another Feluda film, Nayan Rahasya. Led by Indraneil Sengupta as Feluda, Ayush Das as Topshey, and Abhijit Guha as Jatayu, this will be the second film by the trio. As the film hits theatres, today, we speak with Sandip to learn more about the film. Excerpts:
Why did you choose Nayan Rahasya?
In our last film, Hatyapuri, we see a kid, actor Abhinaba Barua, at the beginning. It was just a one day schedule but I loved working with him. He had never faced the camera before, but he was so intelligent and technically sound. I was also a little worried about whether the audience would accept the new trio. When they did, I decided to work on Nayan Rahasya, especially for Abhinaba, before he grew up. It’s not always that I like making two Feluda films back-to-back but this was done just for him. This film is more interesting since it has a pan-India feel with so many non-Bengali characters in it.
Like Hatyapuri, Nayan Rahasya too has been adapted and picturised in the current backdrop…
I had to make it as per the current times since there are a few problems with making a film based in the 1960s-1980s. The first issue is the budget, and we can’t show the city; everything needs to be done with computer-generated imagery (CGI). We had to introduce a bit of technology, like the use of mobile phones, for this generation to identify with the film. But we ensured that it didn’t affect the original story. I have shown Feluda using a mobile phone only when it was necessary, without ruining the essence of the story.
Other than Feluda, who’s your favourite sleuth?
Byomkesh. We anyway just have a handful of sleuths in Bengali literature, and Byomkesh surely stands out among them.
What are your upcoming projects?
Web shows, yes, why not? Not right now, but I don’t mind a limited series. I do have plans, yes, of making another film on short stories, not just of my father, but of other writers too. I also have plans to make a film with Professor Shonku and Feluda, but not together. One will be before the interval, and one after