Actor-director Shiboprosad Mukherjee and actor Jisshu U Sengupta on their puja release, Bohurupi: The Golden Daku
In this conversation, acclaimed director Shiboprosad Mukherjee, along with versatile actor Jisshu U Sengupta, unpacks the narrative pulse driving Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad’s Puja release, Bohurupi: The Golden Daku, a sequel to the blockbuster movie Bohurupi.
Moving beyond the thrill of high-octane chases, the actors explore the grey spectrum of human morality, the psychological weight of survival, and the real-world inspirations shaping their characters. From the burden of institutional power to the art of constant unmasking, Jisshu and Shiboprosad dive deep into their creative dynamic, character references, and why every human being is inherently a chameleon in today’s world.
While you were making The Golden Daku, was the focus on your character, Bikram Pramanik’s progress, or keeping the thrill element tighter than the last film?
Shiboprosad: The story, because of the way it was made, and the way it was coming out, we felt that there could be a continuation. A person who served seven or nine years in jail won’t feel a change, but the world outside will. He would meet new people this time, creating new equations, including Inspector Ayan Banerjee, who will turn the world topsy-turvy for Bikram.
Jisshu, what made you say yes to the film?
Of course, the story, and also my character. He is a real character, made of flesh and blood, and I believe that every human is grey, not completely black or white. Whatever we may say, that I am not black but white, there are grey shades in everyone. I believe the way this character has been written is relevant. He tells Bikram to pay him Rs 3 crore for protection. Both, in reality, are victims of circumstances.
I felt very happy when I was offered the role. It’s a thriller and an action film; it has drama, a larger-than-life setup, and a lot more. I had a few questions, and we had a long discussion, which helped me understand the film better and say yes.
If we take the real meaning of the word bohurupi (people who change their colours swiftly), how do you deal with them?
Jisshu: We all play different characters throughout our lives. The way I play a son, I won’t play a brother that way, or the way I talk with my mother, I won’t talk like that with my sister. We are role-playing constantly, and we hardly know ourselves. Coming to your question, how do we deal with others? If someone you are very close to says something hurtful, he/she might have had another stressful experience somewhere else. So we don’t know what really goes on behind his or her head.
Shiboprosad: I agree with what Jisshu said. We all know how people change their colours, but I think the ones who change colours the most are politicians, and unfortunately, we have to keep dealing with them.
Did the sequel get its name just because he is looting jewellery shops?
Shiboprosad: Not just that. There’s one notorious gangster from Bihar called Subodh Singh, who used to operate from inside the jail. They looted about 400 kg of gold across states, and he is popularly known as the Golden Thief. So, he is kind of my reference for the film. And that is a very important angle for the film. It adds a whole new dimension. It’s not just the son or the family, but his whole fight for survival is about his son and family.
Jishhu, how did you ensure your cop character, Ayan Banerjee, feels different from Bohurupi ’s cop, Sumanta Ghosal, played by Abir Chatterjee?
To date, I have done some 130 films and have never referred to any other film for work. My script is my bible; my director’s direction is my bible. If the director shows me how to do it, I can enact it. I wish I had had this skill when I was young; then I could be an engineer today.
If you talk about similar roles, I also did the role of Byomkesh after Abir did, and I tried to make it distinctly different from his. So no, his character in Bohurupi is neither a reference nor a competition.
If you could carry out a heist, what would it be?