It is one of those Byomkesh stories that needs ambition to be pulled off on screen. After all, it has been done once, 49 years back, by the master story-teller himself.
However,
Anjan Dutt maintains that he has consciously tried to depart from
Satyajit Ray's Chiriyakhana so that the audience will acknowledge Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana as a different film altogether.���Comparisons are inevitable,��� says Dutt, adding, ���The three of us, Jisshu, Saswata and I, were always aware that adapting Chiriyakhana would invite comparisons.
We consciously decided to take our own route. For the Uttam Kumar-starrer, Ray made certain changes to the text, which we did not. We have made Byomkesh far more human, by attributing emotions like anger, loneliness and despair to him. Yes, he is cool and suave, but he too can make mistakes that throw him off. He gets agitated and lashes out. The way we have depicted him is different from the larger than-life Byomkesh we are used to seeing on screen.���
Jisshu Sengupta, too, agrees with this. ���Byomkesh, as a character, has developed in this film. According to me, he is more realistic. He is even seen teary-eyed in this film. He fights Ajit. So, he is more human,��� says the actor. But how did he infuse the character, played by
Uttam Kumar once, with his own individuality? ���I am Anjanda's Byomkesh. I have taken off from where I left in Byom kesh Bakshi last year,��� adds Jisshu.
Chiriyakhana, as a mystery, has always been touted as one of Sharadindu Bandopa dhyay's most complex stories, given the sheer number of char acters. Dutt claims to have added to the mix. ���We made the plot grittier and more intriguing. The under intriguing. The under lying sexual tension between the characters has been made more pronounced and taut. Though peo ple say Chiriyakhana is not one of Ray's better films, I personally liked it,��� the director says.