Showing posts with label Debatma Mandal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debatma Mandal. Show all posts
Violence in Kolkata has been the best kept secret for the longest period of time-Debatma Mandal
9:13 AM
Showrunner Neeraj Pandey and director Debatma Mandal on their connection to Kolkata and expanding the universe with Khakee: The Bengal Chapter
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 16, 2025)
How do you raise the stakes after success? By biting into an even more sumptuous world. With Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, the standalone sequel to Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, that is the attempt. The series explores the crime-infested landscape of early 2000s Bengal, with an IPS officer tearing through a web of political power and law enforcement roadblocks. This crime drama boasts an ensemble cast led by Jeet, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, and Parambrata Chatterjee.
While Pandey continues as the showrunner, directorial responsibilities are shared by Debatma Mandal and Tushar Kanti Ray. The series is set to stream in both Hindi and Bengali, making it Netflix’s first dual-language Indian crime show.
Mandal tells us, “The basic idea was from Neeraj. The idea that we could tell a story representing Kolkata a little better was always the endeavour. There were things about Kolkata that had not been explored earlier, which was an exciting premise to take up. We know how crime, politics, and violence work here because we’ve all grown up here. I think violence in Kolkata has been the best-kept secret for the longest period of time.”
When the Bihar chapter came out, Pandey had envisioned the Khakee franchise as a multi-series, each instalment focusing on a new state.
The showrunner added, “At that point in time, we were clear that the vision was to take it to different states. During the promotion of Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, somebody told me not to talk about the possibility of a season two right now. But we went ahead and said that this is supposed to be a multi-season show. If it doesn’t work out, no problem. But there’s nothing wrong with thinking of it, right? So we dreamt big from day zero. I’m happy that we’ve managed to tell a second season of this and am looking forward to many more.”
What’s the pada culture?
‘Pada’ means neighbourhood club/adda, a culture long practised in Kolkata. Initially, the members of the club were restricted to organising blood donation camps, hoisting the party’s flag, and conducting political rallies. They have now become the foot soldiers of the state government. Pandey, who spent a lot of time in Kolkata, explained, “We were just discussing the pada culture in Kolkata and how different it is from any other state. While the Bihar chapter was adapted, this is a fictional story, but we went back and referenced a lot of incidents we knew [beforehand].”
Aamir Ali plays the protagonist in the socio-comic web series, Life Navrangi
8:33 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; January 16, 2022)
After wrapping up Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz, based on the 2016 Bangladesh terror attack, with an ensemble cast, Aamir Ali has moved on to his next—a seven-episodic social comedy series, where he plays the protagonist. The actor has been shooting for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and BBC London production, titled Life Navrangi since early January, and is expected to wrap it up by January 21.
About playing Vishwas, a journalist in Life Navrangi, he says, “[The series tackles the] issue of sanitation in Bhopal in a humorous tone. [The production house] wanted to give it a desi feel, as they want to cater to Indian audiences.” Directed by Debatma Mandal, the series delivers a “strong message”, insists Ali. “The topic of sanitation can be very boring, so they wanted to make an interesting, fun show with a strong message. I wanted to be associated with it for its good cause and also because reputed producers are associated with it.”
Interestingly, Ali had played Vishwas in 2019 for the show, Navrangi Re on Rishtey for two months, which was part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project. While the new show operates on the similar premise of sanitation, the actor says it is different. “This is a new-age series created in the OTT format [for the digital audience]. Life Navrangi is neither season two, nor is it a continuation of [Navrangi Re]. Only my character Vishwas, who wants to cover genuine stories, and the issues of sanitation in a small town remains the same. The story and rest of the characters [actors] are different,” says the actor, who is thrilled and hungry for the choices the OTT boom has created.
Ali will next be seen in Mehta’s son Jai’s thriller series about around Somalian pirates. Touted to be one of the biggest shows on Disney+ Hotstar, the series features Deepak Tijori, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Amruta Khanvilkar, and Rajat Kapoor among others.
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