The Sunday lunch got more interesting along with the mutton curry cooked by Angshuman’s mother when Uncle Bishu informed that Sushil Mallik, the famous director from Mumbai would be visiting Darjeeling to make the very first Bengali film of his career. This film would also pave a comeback for the famous Bengali Heroine Madhavi Sen. Mallick wanted to cast Angshuman in the role.

A few days later, Angshuman set off for Darjeeling chaperoned by Uncle Bishu and the newly acquainted Sushil Sir. Even Madhavi Sen dropped her celebrity tantrums and became friendly with Angshuman in the airport. During the journey, Angshuman took the opportunity to learn from Uncle Bishu and Sushil Sir. He got introduced to the idea of a stuntman and his job. Madhavi Sen informed him that Captain Krishnan would perform all the stunts in the film including the bike chase scene where villain Jaggu would kidnap his character and escape in a bike by jumping over a river. Angshuman it felt like waiting to meet the hero he had read about in comic strips and Sci-Fi stories. Finally, they arrived at their destination when the car came to a halt under the portico of Mr Lohia’s house. Mr Lohia was the owner of 21 tea estates. Other than being an entrepreneur, Mr Lohia was also a gem collector. The museum of his gemstones dazzled like that of a royal jewellery vault. The showstopper that made their heart stop and eyes dazzled with its cut and shine was Bluebell. Next day morning, during the shoot Villain Jaggu’s annoyance irritated the horse, Toofan.

The ostler lost control of the horse that galloped off with Angshuman sitting on its back. As Toofan sped off on the roads looking down gorges of Darjeeling, a scared Angshuman sat on its back holding the reins tight and eyes closed afraid to look at the gorges passing by. Suddenly out of nowhere Captain Krishnan pulled him down from the horseback . This incident made a hero out of Captain Krishnan among the film crew. Angshuman became his die-hard fan.

A pleasant surprise was waiting for Angshuman the next evening. While having ice-cream at Glenary’s Angshuman came to know that Captain Krishnan was a Bengali by origin. His home was in Konnangar. And his real name is Krishnapada Haldar. Angshuman proved his worth and won the hearts of the entire cast and crew by his acting skills. Yet what was disheartening was that despite possessing such rare talents, captain Krishnan was not properly valued by the members of the crew and the cast. The room allotted for him was common. His place during dinner was often far from the key members of the crew where he would dine with the junior assistants. Jaggu would insult him at the drop of a hat. And even Sushil Mallik would not pay any heed to the way Krishnan was treated. This affected Angshuman deeply and with time he fell more and more in love with this real- life tragic hero.

After Mrs Sen’s shoot got over, the entire crew and cast organized a farewell party in her honour. The party was a grand success with a lot of fun, games and food. The news of the Bluebell theft reached the crew after Mrs Sen’s departure. Mr Lohia’s trusted servant Santosh had also fled. He must have drugged the police guards and helped the thief. Or perhaps he was the thief himself. Inspector Salim Khan took the charge of investigating the theft. The entire film unit was restrained under police observation. Unfortunately, Captain Krishnan was on his regular dinner walk when it happened and it took some time until he returned. In the meantime, Angshuman naïvely revealed his true identity. This targeted him as the main suspect. So is Krishnan a thief? Or someone else steals it? What will Anshuman do now for his Friend?

CAST & CREW
Director:  Sagnik Chatterjee