Filmmaker Arindam Sil plunged into the detective franchise Feluda with an effort to contemporise it through his web series Shabash Feluda, which premiered on Zee5 on May 5. IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh speaks to Sil on the web series at length...

Excerpts...

Q. Change is key for anything to survive. Was that in your mind while making Shabash Feluda?

A. Yes, definitely. As a filmmaker, I have a responsibility to think of a subject and contemporise it. At the same time, we have to ensure that the emotions and nostalgia of the audience are not disrespected.

Q. Why did you choose Feluda among all detective franchises for contemporisation?

A. I actually got the offer of doing it. I have always wanted to work on Feluda. I took it up as a challenge. I have successfully worked on three franchises in the past. It is also a record that I have worked on four detective franchises.

Q. How do you react to the trolls?

A. Let them troll. I am not worried about negative comments. I am concentrating on positive comments which are most important for me.

Q. Was it your intention to reach out to the younger generation by contemporising Feluda?

A. Yes, it was a conscious approach to make the newer generation interested in Feluda. I wanted to make such a Bengali web series for the current generation.

Q. Your introduction of a female character in Shabash Feluda has created a buzz.

A. I was the one who showed love between Byomkesh (Byomkesh Bakshi) and Satyabati in Har Har Byomkesh. More the audience believed in me, the more my responsibility increased. Though I am getting criticised for introducing a female character in Feluda, I think I have made the job of other filmmakers, who would work on Feluda in future, easy.

Q. Did you face any challenge in contemporising Feluda?

A. Yes, yes, a lot. It was a great challenge to create the sequences and contemporise the visuals narrated by Satyajit Ray keeping them timely.

Q. Does OTT help you as a filmmaker to experiment with detective franchises more effectively?

A. Content is a factor. Cinema for big screens is getting redefined. Since a new avenue of content creation has emerged, filmmakers have got an opportunity to experiment on diverse subjects. Feluda's contemporisation is also an experimentation, rather a positive experimentation.

Q. What more is in store for the audience from you on OTT?

A. Shabash Feluda is my first web series. All I can say is that I am working more on OTT. My forthcoming projects will be even more interesting.

(Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)