It has been only a few hours since the 100 days celebration of Durgeshgorer Guptodhon, the biggest Bangla blockbuster of 2019. According to online ticket company bookmyshow.com, the Abir Chatterjee starrer directed by Dhrubo Banerjee has amassed a whopping 6 crores (and counting) at the box office. What is the recipe for such stupendous success of Durgeshgorer Guptodhon? According to Abir Chatterjee, who plays professor cum sleuth Subarna Sen aka Sona-da in the bumper hit franchise, there are two main ingredients for the lip-smacking end product.
“First of all, Durgeshgorer Guptodhon caters to the family audience. Kids love it. Parents love it. I’ve also heard stories of children dragging their parents to the theatre, to watch my film,” smiles Abir. The tall, not-at-all dark and very handsome actor is no stranger to female attention. But so much adoration from children is new to him. “Kids as young as four are coming up to me and calling me Sona-da,” says Abir.
Check out how team Durgeshgorer Guptodhon celebrated 100 days:
What is the second secret ingredient in this hit recipe? Abir explains, “Durgeshgorer Guptodhon is so much more than a cut and dried thriller. It has a healthy dose of Bangaliyana, of Bangali nostalgia and sentiment. There are real relationships. There’s a lot of fun and loads of sumptuous food. Then there’s Durga Puja.” Sounds like the recipe for chicken soup for the Bangali soul!
Sona-da is not the first detective played by Abir Chatterjee. He has portrayed two of the most loved sleuths of Bengal, Byomkesh and Feluda. If he had to pick a favourite, which detective would it be? “Byomkesh is undoubtedly my favourite. I have six Byomkesh films in my CV,” begins Abir and then adds, “But Sona-da is very dear to me. It’s a huge task to entertain children, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to do just that. I feel there aren’t enough Bangla films made for children.”
Watch the Kolabou Gaan video, from Durgeshgorer Guptodhon:
However, Abir has one big concern when it comes to the Guptodhon franchise. It has to do with Semanti Sarkar, Sona-da’s love interest in the franchise. There have been many mentions of Semanti in the films, but the audience is yet to see her. “I’ve acted in many multi-starrers. But I’ve never felt insecure sharing screen space. Now for the first time in my career, I’m feeling insecure. Why is Semanti Sarkar getting such a huge build up spanning two films? This is my question to Dhrubo too!” laughs Abir before adding, “I’m just kidding!”
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