Actor credits director for creating ambience that enhanced the cast’s performances
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 13, 2019)

Abhishek Banerjee has jumped from one horror venture to another. Following Rajkummar Rao-starrer Stree (2018), he will be seen in Sujoy Ghosh's Typewriter, which follows a group of children in search of ghosts. Set to play a "very significant part" in the Netflix offering, Banerjee credits his director for creating an ambience that helped them enhance their act.

"He gets the movements right. There is a certain [balance] in his scenes, and he builds his characters with love. I was tele-ported into his world on day one itself. Goa has never looked like it did this time. The minute you walked in on set, you could leave reality behind, and become part of the director's world. There was a lot of silence on set, so it was easy to focus, and perform," says the actor, who has followed and admired the works of Ghosh.

A fan of the digital medium, Banerjee will also be seen in Assassin, based on the Tarun Tejpal best-selling book, The Story of My Assassins. While he is unwilling to discuss the show just yet, he acknowledges that the web platform has upped the level of acting in the industry. "The OTT platform is encouraging a horde of talented artistes. Made In Heaven has been one of my favourite shows this year. Zoya [Akhtar, director] ma'am is wonderful. It has such a mature take on issues. They dealt with homosexuality so well, and with such normalcy."

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; June 27, 2019)

With movies like Kahaani (2012) and Badla behind him, he has become a master storyteller of whodunits. So it isn't surprising that for his web debut, writer-filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh has turned to his favourite genre.

"I enjoy thrillers and mysteries, so the story of Typewriter came naturally to me. Creating a web series is as challenging as writing a film. [The only difference is that] it allows you to delve deeper into the plot and characters as you have more time to tell the story," says the director, who has found unlikely protagonists in five child actors. The five-episode series, that drops on Netflix on July 19, revolves around a bunch of young ghostbusters who are intrigued by the haunted house in the neighbourhood. The trailer of the Samir Kochhar and Purab Kohli starrer releases today.

It is well-known that Amitabh Bachchan always finds a place in his offerings. Ask him if the megastar is associated with his latest project, and Ghosh remains tight-lipped, only willing to say, "I have always felt privileged while working with sir. His dedication towards his work is unmatched. I would love to work with him for the digital platform because I'm sure the result will be nothing less than brilliant. Meanwhile, I want him to watch Typewriter. It would be nice to hear his opinion."