'Feluda' travels back on time machine

In a story of time travel, where he goes "Back to the Future" to the retro-look Kolkata of the 80s, 'Feluda' Abir Chatterjee now dons the hat of a programme producer in 'Abby Sen' the first Bengali science fiction, with Raima Sen cast opposite.
"But despite the presence of a time ship which helps him cruise back to those days in the company of a bemused wife (Raima) Abby Sen is more of an emotional journey where he finds human emotions never change, even if people become gadget savvy," Abir, having wrapped up shootings as Feluda in Badshahi Angti, told PTI here.

"The 80s was the time of our growing up. I can more connect to the later phase of that decade as a kid. But as I revisit that time on screen I feel there was lot more honesty and simplicity among people, they were lot more uncomplicated. Or were they in the true sense? As Abby discovers getting a job may be tad simpler in those times but sticking to it can be as tricky as in the present days," Abir said.
Abir, who recalls having done the voice-over in director Atanu Ghosh's national award winner 'Anshumaner Chhobi' before breaking big as Bomkesh Bakshi in an Anjan Dutta flick years back, says from the typical collared shirt of that age, to the modest hawai chappal and the posters of Pele and Bagan forwards in his drawing room of the 80s, Atanu has stuck to the minutest details.

"Abby, being a product of 2013 constantly feels the flux as he relapses into the present day dialect of the urban Bengali and asks for the mobile number after meeting a corporate man of the 80s. And he being the protagonist, the film takes a peep at both times, human emotion, relations and people's passion and hobbies, through his eyes," Abir, also enacting the role of an 1947-era office-goer in Sandip Ray's Char, said.
On the acclaim for his multifarious roles as 'Aam Admi' in 'Royal Bengal Tiger', to a 90s do-gooder 'para boy' in Jodi Love Dile Naa Praane, Abir quipped "I am open to all kinds of films and Royal Bengal Tiger (penned by Neeraj Pandey) was more of mainstream genre. Why, even Kanamachhi where I was a villainous Chief Minister hapopened to be a mainstream."

"But may be I am not okay with a proper mainstream, larger-than-life role and would love to tread the middle strand which is more apparent in Bengali films now."
"To bring authenticity to the 80s look I had to arrange a vintage looking ambassador, and procure the whole lot of posters from film heroes to world football greats of that era. There is this ubiquitous wall graffiti one could associate with to refer the period," the director said about Friends Communication.