Back in 1979, the late poet-novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay wrote a story, Bhoyonkor Sundar (Fiercely Beautiful), for the Durga puja edition of a popular Bengali magazine. It's lead character, Raja Roychowdhury aka Kakababu, caught the imagination of not just the kids and teenagers it targeted, but also the elders, and over the next 33 years, till his death in 2012, Gangopadhyay went on to write 36 adventure novels woven around this desi Sherlock Holmes.

However, all these years, Kakababu's appeal has been limited to Bengal and Bengalis. Now, Joy Bhattacharya who has bought the rights to all the 36 novels has joined hands with Main Aur Charles producer Vikram Khakhar to popularise the fictional character with a pan-India and even global audience. “I've read two books in the series and was instantly intrigued. Right now we are in the process of translating all the Bengali novels into English after which Saiwyn Quadras, the writer of Mary Kom and Neerja and the creative producer on this project, will contemporise the stories to be turned into a three-season web series with 10-11 stories in each season, interspersed with a film at regular intervals,“ informs Vikram.

For Saiwyn what makes the Director of the Archaeological Survey of India intrinsically interesting is that all of us, kids or adults, have an innate desire to play detective. Kakababu is a cryptographer whose knowledge of art and history helps him decipher hidden clues in paintings and sculptures to become an invaluable ally of the CBI in finding hidden treasures.

“What's even more commendable is that this typical Bengali babu with the school teacher attitude is physically challenged, having lost a leg in a jeep accident in Afghanistan several years ago. He walks with a crutch but that doesn't cripple him in any way. He fences, shoots and swims. This makes him an aspirational figure with youngsters who through these stories will learn that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it,“ he reasons.

Saiwyn rues the lack of intelligent local content for young India that has traded television and movies for new-age digital content. “For me the aspiration is to give them something that will keep them hooked, like Game of Thrones or House of Cards, and who better than this adventure maverick to travel with considering he moves from the Andamans to Afghanistan, from Egypt to the Himalayas with such ease and panache. In his tryst with crime, Kakababu has travelled across India and the world. Now, it's our turn to take him to different parts of the country and the globe,“ he says.

Any actor in mind to play Kakababu? Bengali cinema has found one in Prosenjit Chatterjee who brought him to the screen in Mishawr Rohoshya in the 2013 Srijit Mukherji thriller. “It's too early to put a face to the name, besides our Kakababu will move from a young man in his mid-20s and early 30s to a 60-plus veteran. I'm sure any actor will jump at the chance to play this character. I myself am really excited to create a new Kakababu universe,“ Saiwyn signs off.