Indian television, during its illustrious heyday, provided audiences with some truly memorable sleuths. Measured against the high standards set by those classic detectives, the recent crop of streaming shows, often celebrated for their creativity and character depth, have struggled to make a significant impact. However, an exception from last year was Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley,” a delightfully straightforward yet charming series headlined by Wamiqa Gabbi. Now, acclaimed actor Kay Kay Menon returns with his rendition of a classic detective figure in Srijit Mukherji’s new series, “Shekhar Home,” available on JioCinema.
Kay Kay Menon, known for his versatility, takes on the role of a Bengali Sherlock Holmes in this series, which is set in the 1990s in the sleepy, fictitious town of Lonpur. The show reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories with a Bengali twist. “Ei to jibon, Kali da (such is life, Kali brother),” Shekhar states to a suspect with a laid-back drawl in the opening episode. Clever nods to popular culture, like a cafe named ‘Khasha Blanca’, pepper the series, adding to its quirky charm.
Speaking about the character’s name, Kay Kay explains, “Home is a bona fide surname in Bengal. Our show is very Indian. It is set in the early 1990s, a time without computers or modern electronic devices. This makes the art of detection, inherently more physical and intriguing. Lonpur is a very sleepy, lazy town, reminiscent of the ‘Malgudi Days’ era.”
Menon holds British actor Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on TV in high regard, citing it as his favorite. While his character in the series dons a deerstalker hat, Menon’s approach to playing Shekhar Home went beyond mere mannerisms. “I play the person and not the profession,” he asserts. “It’s not about how quickly Shekhar can use a prop. My focus is not on the profession’s intricacies, but on understanding the human behind the detective. It’s a psychological process that we actors follow.”
The actor’s childhood was filled with the imaginative worlds of Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, The Hardy Boys, and Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five. He believes these stories fuel a child’s inquisitive and vibrant imagination, a tendency that has lingered into his adulthood. Kay Kay mentions how reading a script often leads him to visualize scenes in meticulous detail. “Even long after filming a scene, the image that stays with me is the one I had pictured when reading the script,” he reveals.
. This vivid imagination often caused discrepancies on set, such as recalling a market scene differently from how it was actually shot.
Kay Kay Menon perceives himself as an ‘impressionist’ actor and introduces a new term to describe his craft – a ‘simulator’. He compares his acting process to modern flight simulators, where the experience must be life-like to the extent that simulated crashes have been known to cause real heart attacks. “That’s my job as an actor, my simulation of a character has to be that life-like,” he elaborates.
Kay Kay is a performer who respects the intelligence of his audience, even when it involves the broad demographic of Hindi cinema viewers. He trusts that audiences can grasp subtleties and nuances without needing overt explanations. This faith in his audience has been unwavering throughout his three-decade-long career. He recounts a scene from “Sarkar” (2005) where his character, film financier Vishnu, exhibits a deeply intense, malevolent stare. Years later, a fan expressed how powerfully that scene struck them.
“I firmly believe that audiences are intelligent,” he says. “They may not be intellectual, but they are intelligent. Navigating life’s challenges requires intelligence, and if they can do that, understanding a film is not a stretch.”
Menon has found joy in the streaming space, showcasing his talent in series like “The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family,” “Farzi,” “Special Ops,” “Bambai Meri Jaan,” and “The Railway Men.” He’s set to appear in “Citadel: Honey Bunny,” featuring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, as well as another series titled “Murshid.”
Despite his increased engagement in media, his social media presence remains somewhat detached, focusing on work-related announcements and promotions. “Social media is part and parcel of our lives nowadays,” Kay Kay admits. “I come to promote my projects and that’s about it. I respect the creativity involved in making engaging content, but it’s not my strong suit.”
Reflecting on his cinematic journey, Menon acknowledges that the kind of content-driven cinema he pioneered once competed for prominence against blockbuster films. However, he acknowledges that Indian audiences have a penchant for grand, larger-than-life entertainment. “Blockbusters are the game in India. People want the excitement of a buffet, not just one nutritious meal,” he concludes with a laugh.
“Shekhar Home” is now streaming on JioCinema, inviting viewers to dive into a uniquely Indian reimagining of the classic detective tales.
