The timeless classic Romeo Juliet returns again, and this time in a re-imagined version for the Bengali OTT platform, hoichoi. The second series to be made under the World Classics vertical, Talmar Romeo Juliet would start streaming from November and the makers just dropped its first look teaser. Directed by Arpan Garai with Anirban Bhattacharya as the creative director, the series features fresh faces — Hiya Roy and Debdutta Raha — in the lead roles.
Giving a hint about the series, director Arpan Garai mentions, "In Shakespeare’s world, people don’t love, they die every day to be born again. It’s also a world where the moment a caterpillar grows into a butterfly, a chameleon sticks out its tongue to catch it. Shakespeare’s tragic romance encouraged me to create something that might restore people’s faith in love."
The teaser shows a 'hero' and a 'heroine' who are in love with each other along with 'a lot of villains'. It is also revealed that Anirban, who also plays a part, might be one of the villains. Talmar Romeo Juliet is a fresh team — right from the writer to the director and the actors, who work alongside veterans like Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Joydeep Mukherjee, Payel De and Anujoy Chattopadhyay — to create an anticipated masterpiece of the timeless classic for a modern audience.
Talking about this intense drama, tragedy, romance and more, Anirban opines, “The day I heard the script, I knew it in my bones that this was going to be a grand show – the grandest show in this industry perhaps. As there has been no other hoichoi World Classics since Mandaar, I felt this Shakespearean tragedy would fit the bill. On the other hand, Durbar, the writer, kept the dialect of Jalpaiguri, where the story is set, in mind and upheld the originality of the show.”
He further states, "A lot of people, and especially a fresh set of minds, worked on Talmar Romeo Juliet, and it took over a year for the show to come into being. I am also really excited to see how the audience takes this new set of fresh minds. I, personally, am very optimistic about it and very happy that a new director got to direct it, a new writer got to write it, new and rising actors got to act, and me being me, I always embrace the new. And this show is new, and one of its kind."
Talmar Romeo Juliet will start streaming on hoichoi from November