Satyam Bhattacharya opens up about his role in the new Bengali web series Taarkata
After mesmerising the audience with his screen presence in films and series like Ballabhpurer Roopkotha, Nishir Dak, Vijaynagarer Hirey and more, Satyam Bhattacharya is back again as part of an ensemble cast in Taarkata. The whacky crime-thriller-comedy lets the audience explore another side of this versatile actor. Satyam plays the role of Bumba Bagchi, a trusted aide to the protagonist and we sat down for a chat with him to know more.
Excerpts:
What stood out in Taarkata for you?
It’s a very quirky black comedy and this is the first time I’m working on a script like this. Also, I haven’t done action for a very long time. It’s a very interesting role. We know what the title Taarkata (wacky in Bengali) means. So, the character that I play is the only sane guy in the entire story. Every Taarkata needs a balancing factor and I am that balance in Agni’s (Vikram Chatterjee) life. He’s a sub–inspector, and they are friends and colleagues. Also because they are friends, he can say things to him that a lot of people cannot.
How did you feel playing a character called Bumba when the name famously denotes Bumba da (Prosenjit Chatterjee)?
In the original script, my name was something else. It changed because the character had a lot of quirks. When they mentioned that Bumba is the name of my character, the first thing that came to mind is that its Prosenjit Chatterjee’s nickname. But I don’t feel any kind of weight on my shoulders because my brother-in-law or neighbourhood friend is also named Bumba. But it was nice having that name.
Do you find any similarities between you and Bumba?
Yes I do. When I am with my friends, I am a fairly foul mouthed person and so is Bumba whenever he is dealing with Agni. In my life I am not a big risk taker or I don’t do anything instinctively. Bumba is also like that.
What’s the most memorable part of the Satyam-Vikram chemistry?
This is the first time I’m sharing the screen with Vikram. We had worked together in Tansener Tanpura, but did not share a frame. However, I have interacted with him on several occasions. The most interesting part is that our friendship grew throughout the shoot. Later on, we did action, friendship montages, and drunken scenes. I also got to see Vikram as a producer upfront. Whenever he was not acting he was the producer of the series. That was interesting. I have learnt a lot of things from him.
What’s the one thing you discovered about yourself and the cast during the shoot?
I discovered a different side of me as an actor because it’s a different character altogether. I got very quirky dialogues. I got to discover a lot about everyone because this is the first time I’m working with everyone. It was a completely new unit and batch of actors and I loved everything about it.
Having played such varied characters what you are looking forward to exploring next?
I am looking for something really commercial that would give me the motivation to get in shape to do some dance and action. That’s the only genre that I have not explored at all so I want to do it in a film.
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