Ritwik Bhowmik: Kolkata is stuck in time yet it is futuristic

Mumbai, April 10: Actor Ritwik Bhowmik, who essays the role of Sagor in the recently released streaming series ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’, is in love with Kolkata. The actor, who spent a considerable time in what was once the capital of the East India Company, feels that the city has a different charm to it, and is quite fluid within the time fabric.

Ritwik recently spoke with IANS, and shared how landing in Kolkata suddenly changed the optics of his character for him along with his co-actor Aadil Khan.

The actor told IANS, “We did workshops in Mumbai, we had a script, so there was a foundation and structure of the characters, which was given to us that this is where you begin from and now make it your own. We did a lot of rehearsals to understand Sagor and Ranjeet and their relationship and where they come from. But until we reached Kolkata, until we came here, didn't drink water there, didn't feel the air there, we didn't understand what exactly these parts were”.

He further mentioned that he and Aadil reached Kolkata 2-3 days before the shoot started, and they used to just roam on the streets, drink tea, sit somewhere, eat somewhere or talk to strangers to get a sense of the physical setting of the city.

He said, “In those 2-3 days, we understood that the line that is written in front of us on paper, has a different way of reading it, a different way of listening to it. It has a different way of understanding it, because we were looking at those people and everything changed. I don't know what would have happened if we stayed there for 2-3 months”.

“Kolkata has a different pace to it and it is in the energy of the city, which got on to us and suddenly it gave us a way and that was beautiful. The time is different there. Kolkata is 100 years behind and 100 years ahead in time”, he added.

‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ streams on Netflix.

Reader Comments

P

Priya S.

As someone born and raised in Kolkata, this makes me so happy! ❤️ The city really does have a magical way of getting under your skin. That line about being 100 years behind and ahead is so accurate!

A

Amit K.

Interesting perspective, though I think the article could have explored more about what specifically felt "futuristic" about Kolkata. The colonial architecture is beautiful but not exactly forward-looking.

S

Sneha R.

Love how actors immerse themselves in locations for roles! The part about drinking tea and talking to strangers is so Kolkata - adda culture at its finest ☕

R

Rahul D.

Been to Kolkata once and completely agree about the different pace of life. The city has soul unlike any other metro. Might have to check out this show now!

M

Meena P.

"Didn't drink water there, didn't feel the air there" - what a beautiful way to describe how essential a sense of place is for authentic acting. More actors should take this approach!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.