Bengali actor Rahul Arunodoy Banerjee plays one of the leads in filmmaker-actor Anjan Dutt's upcoming web series Seven, which premieres on Zee5 on Mar 17. Ahead of the premiere, Rahul shares his experience of working in Dutt's project with IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh...

Q. How does your character's psychology change with money?

A. It's like a very roller-coaster ride. We react to the same situations differently at different points of time. This has been captured glaringly in Seven when five friends discover a bag full of money.

Q. How was reuniting with Anjan Dutt?

A. I am smitten by Anjan-da because he is an icon to all of us. His acting has always remained at the international level. His direction, acting, and songs have created new avenues in the Bengali language. Now he is trying to discover himself as a writer. He seems the youngest on the shooting floor in terms of energy. He is full of emotions. His love for craft even at this age is a lesson for all of us.

Q. Which self of Anjan Dutt inspires you more, filmmaker or actor?

A. Actor. His acting has been unconventional. He is right up there for me.

Q. How do you evaluate contemporary thrillers?

A. It's a weird trend of making thrillers that has started across all media. Even thriller books were hugely sold at the Kolkata Book Fair this year. Actually everyone wants to benefit from a trend. The result yielded by that mostly turns out negative but sometimes it works. In Bengal, there are a few obstacles to making detective films as well. 

Q. Why do you say so?

A. This is because Bengal's crime scene is not interesting to be portrayed onscreen though the situation is of course good as a state. I would like all genres of films to be explored because films are not just for the commerce but also archival values.

(Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)