Now streaming on Netflix is Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter. Directed by Debatma Mandal and Tushar Kanti Ray Khakee: The Bengal Chapteris set in the Bengal of the early 2000s, where Gangsters and Politicians reign supreme. A decorated cop’s death paves the way for a fearless IPS, Arjun Maitra (Jeet) – an unrelenting force ready to take on the chaos and restore justice. Featuring a stellar ensemble, the series unites some of Bengali cinema’s finest talent, including Jeet, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, and Parambrata Chatterjee bringing their powerful presence to this gripping crime saga.
Jeet talks with Subhash K Jha about being a part of this series.
Jeet is a huge name in Bengali cinema. His presence in Netflix’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter is no small matter, especially as he gets to share screen space with another Bengali superstar, Prosenjit. “We had a great cast and ensemble. Everybody in their strengths are wonderful talents, and more than anything else, they brought in great energy. Now that I know you have watched it, I am very hopeful it has transcended into the show. It’s like some kind of excitement for the first time, and about Bumba Da (Prosenjit), yes, we are working for the first time, but we never felt that we were sharing the frame for the first time as our relationship and equation have been in that space. We have worked or jammed up together so many times and for so many reasons, and it was wonderful working with him as well.”
Jeet says he is delighted to play an idealistic cop in Khakee. “Yeah, that’s how my character was written, and Arjun Moitra is one of those characters who brings in a lot of head and shoulder to the story, or that is how the arc of the character is and I enjoyed playing that character. In my personal life, I have come up in a middle-class background with middle-class values, and I just live with them. We have grown up in a joint family and still live the same way. Our family is spiritually rooted in absolute middle-class values. I don’t know how idealistic it is. But I truly feel proud and blessed the way I have been raised or the way I live. See, as a citizen, yes, of course, I have my responsibilities, and I abide by them. As an artist, we should be free to play a role as the story demands it.”
Jeet prepared extensively for his cop’s role. “I understand my character and love to spend a lot of time with directors, do readings and workshops. I always do my homework. Here, we didn’t get the opportunity to do workshops. Besides this, every time I get a new character, I go with an empty slate so that the director or the maker can draw or sketch, whatever or however they want to. And I just try to meet the maker’s vision, that’s it. I feel blessed to have been loved by audiences in this part of the country for so many years. It truly feels amazing, and I can only be grateful to the people here. As an artist or as a maker, there has always been an aspiration to explore new stories, step into new characters, and explore myself; that has always been the drive. In the process, Khakee: The Bengal Chapter happened, which is a show with a massive following. With Netflix as the platform, a friend and a visionary like Neeraj Pandey at the helm—someone known for his distinctive storytelling— house like Friday Day Filmworks, I didn’t have to think much as I thought It was destiny’s call, and it came on my way. I’m happy to be on board.”
