The idea of ‘hero’ is altering: Anirban Chakrabarti
Actor Anirban Chakrabarti returns as Bengal’s beloved detective Eken Babu for the thirteenth time along with his newest movie, ‘The Eken: Kerala-e-Kurukshetra’. Having performed the character throughout internet sequence and movies, it’d be simple to change into complacent, particularly when the franchise enjoys great reputation. However Anirban stays ‘alert’, as he places it and refuses to take the character calmly. “The day I begin treating the character mechanically, it would lose its life. So, I’m alert. Regardless of realizing that I’ve performed the character 13 occasions, I don’t get into my consolation zone,” he mentioned.
Anirban first performed the literary character in 2018, when director Joydeep Mukherjee tailored ‘Eken Babu’ for the net sequence format. Practically 9 years on, the actor is greatest identified for portraying the affable Bengali detective, who has carved out a loyal fan base alongside iconic sleuths similar to Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda. In 2022, the character made the transition from an online sequence to a full-length function movie, which obtained a thunderous response on the field workplace. Regardless of his familiarity with Eken Babu, Anirban continues to find new layers within the character. “I put together as a lot for Eken Babu, if no more, as I do for a lot of different movies as a result of I do know there’s a danger of turning into complacent. So many individuals have fallen in love with this character. I can’t take it with no consideration,” he mentioned.
Whereas Anirban’s id is carefully related to Eken Babu, the actor is aware of the necessity to keep away from being typecast. He has explored contrasting roles in movies similar to ‘Bibi Payra’, ‘Chaalchitra: The Body Fatale’, ‘Sharthopor’ and ‘Projapati 2’, looking for to problem the picture audiences have come to affiliate with him. There may be an fascinating contradiction in his profession: he performs a personality whose reputation generally overshadows the actor himself, whereas concurrently making an attempt to make audiences see him in several avatars. “I’ve been aware about this from day one. So, I’ve tried to do movies like ‘Chaalchitra’ and ‘Bibi Payra’, which break free from the picture I’ve created,” he mentioned.
Though Eken Babu enjoys a cult following, Anirban doesn’t match the traditional mould of a Bengali movie hero. Having come to behave comparatively late after spending years centered on teachers, he has earned big reputation. “The traditional star system is being altered. In the present day, the idea of a hero is altering and OTT has performed an enormous position on this transition,” mentioned the actor, who was additionally seen in ‘Mrigaya: The Hunt’.
Moreover Eken Babu, Anirban has portrayed one other iconic literary character, Jatayu, within the ‘Feluda’ internet sequence. Nonetheless, he’s stepping away from the position within the subsequent instalment. “I’ve performed Jatayu 5 occasions within the internet sequence. After all, I had a good time, however as an actor, I felt I had contributed what I may to the character,” he mentioned.
The ‘Eken: Kerala-e-Kurukshetra’ is enjoying in theatres this Puja. Talking about comedy in Bengali cinema, Anirban expressed concern over the underutilisation of actors similar to Kharaj Mukherjee and Subhasish Mukherjee, who are sometimes recognised primarily for his or her comedian timing.
