‘Dwitiyo Purush’: 5 reasons to watch Srijit Mukherji’s ‘BAISHE SRABON’ sequel

‘Dwitiyo Purush’ is no doubt Srijit Mukherji’s most-anticipated film and why not? It’s the sequel to ‘Baishe Srabon’, the 2011 gritty thriller that became a sensation. So, without much ado, read why watching ‘Dwitiyo Purush’ which releases on January 23 should be on your to-do list this week.

The latest thriller from Srijit will start from where ‘Baishey Srabon’ had left off and we will get to see Parambrata Chattopadhyay reprising the role of detective Abhijit Pakarashi and Raima Sen will relive her character Amrita, Abhijit’s love interest. Also, Abir Chatterjee will be returning with his role of Surya in a special appearance. As we have seen in the trailer, there are some new interesting faces. Like, Anirban Bhattacharya surprised everyone with his new look of Khoka, who is synonymous to violence. So is the character played Rwitobroto Mukherjee as he comes out of his boy-next-door avatar to deliver a fearsome image. The story follows a time frame in Kolkata where a series of serial killings shock the city once again 25 years after it first took place and Abhijit Pakrashi (Parambrata) has been given the task of hunting down the killer. Thus, it promises an unpredictable journey in search of a murderer.

No wonder ‘Dwitiyo Purush’ is one of the most anticipated films of Srijit Mukherji and the acclaimed director says you can’t restrict the film to a whodunit: “I have always believed in mixed-genre films. So it cannot be just a whodunit. There has to be layers… and these layers make you watch the film many times even after you know who the killer is. I love the portion in Dwitiyo Purush where we see Abhijit growing up and helping someone else (played by Gaurav Chakrabarty) to grow up as well. it’s tough to leave up to audience expectations. You have a tough act to follow and huge expectations to fulfill. In fact one of the reasons why I did not make a sequel for nine years is because till last year I hadn’t found a plot which would rival the complexity of Baishe Srabon.”

Parambrata Chattopadhyay who reprises the role of Abhijit Pakrashi in ‘Dwitiyo Purush’ says there’s an interesting transformation in his character which to some extent is the backbone of the narrative. “Abhijit was kind of like a rookie in Baishey Srabon; he was idealistic about certain things. He was hesitant. In Dwitiyo Purush he is calmer, mature; he has come of age. He is seeing how the system works from the inside for a very long time; he knows the loopholes as well. He will perform his duties to his last breath. Maybe he is a little bitter, which comes with age. A certain degree of that is not harmful… it only helps you to see the bigger picture. He has a world of his own where not a lot of things exist apart from his work, and how to negotiate with the not-so-nice parts of his work. He resides in that kind of a world. Amrita has her own set of idiosyncrasies as well. They try to make things work but not always does it fall into place. He is also facing a very difficult task; he is a man on a mission as well. He is under tremendous pressure, so he may not always be able to carry out some of the duties one expects from a husband or a partner. At the same time, he is that sort of a lover who does not really know how to express his love. It really boils within him… as far as love is concerned he is a perpetual brooder,” explains Parambrata.

“The look of Amrita is a little mature, as the story takes place eight years since the events of Baishe Srabon. Param reprises the role of chief detective Abhijit Pakrashi. ‘Baishe Srabon’ changed the way thrillers were perceived by the Bengali audience and I’m sure ‘Dwitiyo Purush’ will have the similar effect on the audience. Srijit is a master when it comes to thrillers,” that’s what Raima Sen believes.

In Khoka, you won’t see any grey zone. He is a completely dark, bloody character, a hardcore villain. I have done six films with Srijitda thill now… and believe me I have given everything to slip into Khoka’s character. I even had to gain some weight to play this character. See, I have seen many dark characters in my life and the language you hear from Khoka comes from them. When I had moved to Kolkata for the first time, I used to stay in a place in Koley Market. In those days, it was pretty much rough.