Tota Roy Choudhury: Playing Feluda was the only item on my bucket list, says Srijit Mukherji’s web series detective

There is a new Byomkesh or Feluda on Bengali screens every year. It almost feels like playing either of the sleuths is an item to be checked off the bucket lists of Bengali actors. Tota Roy Choudhury is the newest entrant in the Bengali detective club and he is elated. “I don’t know about other actors, but playing Feluda was definitely on top of my list. In fact, it was the only item on my bucket list!” says the handsome actor. Tota Roy Choudhury is all set to play Feluda in Srijit Mukherji’s web adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s famous detective.


Tota Roy Choudhury has always had a soft spot for Feluda. He prefers Satyajit Ray’s detective over Saradindu Bandopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi. The actor explains, “I was always greedy about playing Feluda. In fact I turned down an offer to play Byomkesh. Feluda represents a different emotion for me. Feluda is my childhood.” Tota adds, “All the other detective stories are written by authors, but Feluda is the creation of a director. There is a beautiful pictorial element in his stories.”


Srijit is filming Chhinnomostar Obhishaap and Joto Kando Kathmandute for Feluda Pherot. But Tota Roy Choudhury picks another Feluda adventure as his favourite. “Asking me to choose a favourite Feluda story is like asking to pick among my sons and daughters! But jokes aside, I have a special place for Tintorettor Jishu. I acted in that film and also designed the fight sequence in Hong Kong. Not only that, it was my performance in that film which prompted Srijit to select me as his Feluda,” says Tota.


How is he going to portray Feluda differently from the other actors who have played him so far? Tota Roy Choudhury says, “Consciously I will not do anything differently. I am a director’s actor. I am an instrument of the director’s vision. Srijit is a talented director and its best to leave everything to him.”


There has been a fair amount of criticism about casting Tota Roy Choudhury as Feluda. The actor is well aware of that. He says, “As a human being, of course I won’t feel good about the criticism. But I understand that Feluda is an emotion. Readers and viewers have a picture of him in their minds.” Besides Tota, there were three other actors in contention for Srijit’s series: Anirban Bhattacharya, Indraneil Sengupta and Abir Chatterjee. “The other three actors have a bigger fan following, whose disappointment is understandable. Plus they are heroes, while I’m a working actor. I have to work hard to make viewers appreciate me as Feluda,” signs off Tota Roy Choudhury.

Here’s wishing the handsome actor all the very best!


Image Source:-Instagram/totaroychoudhury