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Kay Kay Menon Returns to the Screen as Shekhar Home: A Bengali Sherlock Holmes


Indian television, in its prime, was well-known for presenting audiences with unforgettable sleuths. When compared to those golden standards, today’s streaming shows seem to lack the same memorable impact. A noticeable exception from last year was Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley,” a quaint yet charming series. It featured Wamiqa Gabbi as an amusing, irreverent Emily Trefusis. Building on this trend, acclaimed actor Kay Kay Menon is back, reuniting with director Srijit Mukherji, this time to breathe life into a classic figure.

Kay Kay Menon steps into the shoes of a Bengali Sherlock Holmes in Mukherji’s latest series, “Shekhar Home,” which is now streaming on JioCinema. Set against the backdrop of the 1990s in a tranquil fictional town called Lonpur, the show creatively adapts Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories, infusing them with a distinct Bengali flavor. For example, in the opening episode, Shekhar tells a suspect with a delectable drawl, “Ei to jibon, Kali da (such is life, Kali brother).” The series also cleverly names a café ‘Khasha Blanca.’

“Home is a bona fide surname in Bengal,” asserts Kay Kay. “Our show is very Indian. It is set in the early 1990s, a time without computers or electronic devices. This makes the art of detection more intriguing and physically engaging. The town itself is like a sleepy, lazy backdrop, reminiscent of ‘Malgudi Days.’”

Kay Kay Menon draws inspiration from Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on British TV, which he considers his favorite adaptation. Although he wears a deerstalker in the promotional posters, Menon chose to focus on building his character from the inside out, rather than relying on professional quirks.

“I play the person and not the profession,” explains Kay Kay. “My main focus isn’t on how swiftly Shekhar can use a prop. Instead, I delve deep into understanding the human being behind the character. It’s a psychological process that we actors follow.”

A lifelong fan of detective stories, Kay Kay grew up devouring novels by Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and series like The Hardy Boys and The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. According to Menon, a child’s mind is at its most imaginative and inquisitive at that age. This habit of visualizing narratives has stayed with him into adulthood. “In fact, long after I’ve shot a scene, I often picture it as I visualized it while reading the script,” he shares. This happened frequently on the set of “Shekhar Home.” “The production team would remind me of a scene we shot at the market, but my mind would be on the version I had imagined earlier.”

Kay Kay has previously described himself as an ‘impressionist’ actor, a term usually associated with painting, and now adds another descriptor to his approach: ‘simulator.

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“In modern flight simulators, the experience of flying is so realistic that authorities have removed the crash mode to prevent heart attacks. Similarly, my job as an actor is to make my portrayal of a character life-like,” he says.

Kay Kay Menon is a performer who has immense faith in the intelligence of his audience. He believes that even the Hindi film audience appreciates subtle hints and gestures instead of having everything spelled out explicitly. This trust in the viewers’ intelligence is a trait he’s maintained throughout his three-decade-long career. He recalls an instance from the movie “Sarkar” (2005) where his character, Vishnu, a film financier, leered salaciously at a young starlet. Years later, a fan told Menon how impactful that scene was for them.

“I sincerely believe that audiences are intelligent. They might not necessarily be intellectual, but they are intelligent. They navigate life through various circumstances, so understanding a film isn’t too difficult for them,” Kay Kay asserts.

The actor has been thriving on streaming platforms recently, with notable performances in “The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family,” “Farzi,” two seasons of “Special Ops,” the crime saga “Bambai Meri Jaan,” and the survival drama “The Railway Men.” He is also set to appear in a ‘glorified cameo’ in the upcoming “Citadel: Honey Bunny” alongside Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and another series, “Murshid,” releasing later this month.

In terms of his increasing media presence, Menon has been more active in press interactions. Before one such interview, he completed a shoot with a ‘youth platform,’ participating in rapid-fire questions and offering advice to Generation Z. His Instagram page, boasting 407k followers and 477 posts, is a mix of announcements, work promos, collaborations, and festive greetings, maintaining a professional yet impersonal tone.

“Social media is now an integral part of our lives,” acknowledges Kay Kay. “I mainly use it to promote my films. I have nothing against any tool or technology. Creating a one-minute reel requires great creativity and skill, which I, unfortunately, do not possess.”

Kay Kay’s most recent theatrical release, “Love All” (2023), was a sports drama. Once hailed as a superstar of alternate cinema – alongside actors like Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpayee – he now finds that this genre has shifted predominantly to streaming platforms.

Throughout his career, Kay Kay has seen periods where content-rich cinema seems poised to become mainstream but never quite manages to do so. “Blockbusters are the game in India. I’ve realized that you cannot take away larger-than-life entertainment from the audience. They want the buffet, not one nutritious meal,” he concludes with a laugh.

“Shekhar Home” is currently streaming on JioCinema, offering viewers yet another fascinating portrayal by Kay Kay Menon that promises to keep them engaged and intrigued.

Indian cinema

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Hindi cinema

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