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Monday 13 April 2015

ACTOR REVIEW - DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY - ASIAN AGE

The monk who became a villain

Neeraj Kabi
Neeraj Kabi















After winning kudos for his role as the monk in Ship Of Theseus, Neeraj Kabi played a villain with ease in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy. Ask the actor what prompted him to take up a role so diametrically different from his previous on and he replies, “I want to play characters who can provoke me into transforming in body and soul.”
In Neeraj’s context, you can interpret those words quite literally — he lost 18 kg for his role in SOT, at great cost to his health. “I was 42 at the time and doctors warned me not to mess with my metabolism and blood pressure. Everything went well in spite of the weight loss. It was only towards the end of the shooting in Jaipur that I began to suffer blackouts. But I’d do it again for a role if it’s worth it,” Neeraj says.
After SOT, Neeraj portrayed Mahatma Gandhi in the TV series Samvidhan. Then came Byomkesh. “Getting the physicality right was not my main concern (with this film),” says Neeraj. “I had to explore the character’s inner world and emerge with the correct emotions. Luckily my director (Dibakar Banerjee) was a big help. He gave me lots of material to read up on that era.”
Next up for Neeraj is Meghna Gulzar’s Nyodda. “It’s based on a true incident and I’ve a very interesting character to play. Besides, I got to work with amazing talents like Vishal Bhardwaj, who has produced and written the film, Tabu and Irrfan Khan,” says Neeraj. Also on the anvil is Kranti Kanade’s Gandhi Of The Month.
Says Neeraj, with a laugh, “It looks like there is no getting away from Gandhi for me. I played Gandhi in Samvidhan, I worked with Anand Gandhi on SOT. I have Gandhi Of The Month coming up. And Nyodda releases on Gandhi Jayanti. I think I should re-christen myself Neeraj Gandhi!”

ACTOR REVIEW - DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY

'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!': We love Sushant Singh Rajput, but can't forget Neeraj Kabi

He doesn't play the gun-wielding beefy villain that we have seen multiple times in Bollywood films, who works with the sole purpose to substantiate how macho the male protagonist is. But with his carefully nuanced portrayal of Dr Anukul Guha, actor Neeraj Kabi keeps the spotlight fixated on him. While his last project (Ship of Theseus) proved how he is one of the best actors in Bollywood, his recent performance in Dibakar Banerjee's much talked about film goes on to show he has the makings of a perfect villain.
Read on to why we love to hate Neeraj Kabi in the film.
There are spoilers ahead. In case you haven't watched the film, please come back to the article later.
'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!': We love Sushant Singh Rajput, but can't forget Neeraj Kabi
Read on to why we love to hate Neeraj Kabi in Dibakar Banerjee's 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'.
With a destructive attitude and wicked plans, Neeraj looks captivating as we see him being pitted against the good guy. As the story progresses and Sushant gets wrong clues while he slogs to piece together the mystery, we realize how powerful Neeraj is than our hero. He comes across as a challenge which the actor has a tough time to defeat. Even though he isn't seen as a physically imposing character, Dr Anukul Guha is a lot better than the hero and compels him to look deeper into the clues and work harder to find the murderer.
Unlike the typical villain, Neeraj doesn't sport just one look in the film. With the varied roles - a patriot, owner of Mahamaya Boarding House and a traitor - his garb changes. He sports a traditional avatar as Dr Guha, wears a monkey cap to conceal his identity when he accompanies Bymokesh to enter the factory, and sports a thick beard, opt for a long coat that goes with his a dishevelled state for the climax (when his identity is revealed), all to prove there is a certain look about him. It is his final look that helps him stand out from the rest of the characters. So while his great acting is obvious, his great costume also does the trick, all to exude the aura of a great villain.
The reason why we never get bored of seeing Neeraj is his ability to turn himself into a complex character that makes the viewers feel there is more to him than what they see on screen. It is the mystery he is shrouded in that hooks the viewers in. And because he is enigmatic, he succeeds in scaring the viewers.
Neeraj succeeds in every trick he plays because of his potential to treat the string of murders as a chess game. Everything goes according to the plan that he has drawn. It's quite creepy when he knows everything and manipulates the hero, subtly though, to his plan.
But the climax which shows how he is defeated and still not, that becomes the defining point of the film. While filmmaker Dibakar build it up, Neeraj makes it all the more powerful. And as he mouths the film's most hard-hitting dialogue 'Meri Dosti Nahi Sambhal Paye Bakshy Babu, Meri Dushami Kaise Sambhalogey', the audience know he will return to pose a greater challenge for our Bakshy!

Neeraj Kabi as Dr.Guha in the feature film -Detective Byomkesh Bakshy [ Directed by Dibakar Banerjee]