‘It Was Destiny’s Call’

‘Creative
impulses

ek
lifetime

mein
pura
nahi
ho
payega.’

Bengali
star

Jeet
gets
a
taste
of
OTT
with
his
brand
new
Web
series

Khakee:
The
Bengal
Chapter.

“Every
time
I
get
a
new
character,
I
go
with
an
empty
slate
so
that
the
director
can
draw
or
sketch
whatever
they
want
to,”
Jeet
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

You
are
a
huge
star
in
Bengal.
What
prompted
you
to
take
the
plunge
on
OTT?

I
feel
blessed
to
have
been
loved
by
audiences
in
this
part
of
the
country
for
so
many
years.

As
an
artist,
there
has
always
been
an
aspiration
to
explore
new
stories,
step
into
new
characters,
and
explore
myself.

In
the
process,

Khakee:
The
Bengal
Chapter
happened.
It’s
a
show
with
a
massive
following.

With
Netflix
as
the
platform,
a
friend
and
visionary
like
Neeraj
Pandey
at
the
helm,
someone
known
for
his
distinctive
storytelling,
I
didn’t
have
to
think
much.
It
was
destiny’s
call,
and
I’m
happy
to
be
on
board.

The
series
features
several
Bengali
stalwarts,
including
Prosenjit
and
you.
What
was
it
like
working
with
this
talented
cast?

Everybody
in
their
strengths
are
wonderful
talents.
More
than
anything
else,
they
brought
in
great
energy.

Bumbada
(Prosenjit)
and
I
are
working
for
the
first
time
but
we
never
felt
that.
We
have
jammed
up
together
so
many
times
and
for
so
many
reasons
that
it
was
wonderful
to
work
with
him
as
well.

You
play
an
upright
cop
who
would
do
anything
in
the
line
of
duty.
How
idealistic
are
you
in
real
life?

Yes,
Arjun
Moitra
is
one
of
those
characters
who
brings
in
a
lot
of
head
and
shoulder
to
the
story.
I
enjoyed
playing
that
character.

In
my
personal
life,
I
have
been
brought
up
in
a
middle-class
background
with
middle-class
values,
and
I
live
by
them.

We
have
grown
up
in
a
joint
family
and
still
live
that
way.

As
an
actor,
do
you
consider
your
social
responsibilities
before
taking
on
a
role?

Yes,
of
course.
I
have
my
responsibilities
and
I
abide
by
them.
As
an
artist,
we
should
be
free
to
play
a
role
as
the
story
demands
it.

How
much
preparation
did
you
undertake
to
play
Arjun
Moitra
in

Khakee?

I
understand
my
character
and
love
to
spend
time
with
directors,
do
readings
and
workshops.

I
always
do
my
homework.

Here,
we
didn’t
get
the
opportunity
to
do
workshops.

Every
time
I
get
a
new
character,
I
go
with
an
empty
slate
so
that
the
director
can
draw
or
sketch
whatever
they
want
to.
I
just
try
to
meet
the
maker’s
vision.

Do
you
feel
Bangla
cinema
offers
you
the
roles
that
do
justice
to
your
creative
impulses?

Bangla
cinema
has
given
me
a
lot

phir
bhi
bahut
aag
hai,
sir.

Creative
impulses

ek
lifetime

mein
pura
nahi
ho
payega.

Jab
kuch
bahut
accha
lagta
hai
aur
hamare
bas
mein
hota
hai
toh
hum
film
produce

bhi
kar
lete
hain,
phir
bhi
lagta
hai
as
an
artist

khud
ko
aur
kitna
explore

kar
paaun.

Mazaa
aata
hai
jab
alag
alag
kahaniyan
present

kar
pata
hoon
aur
alag
alag
kirdaar
jee
pata
hoon.