Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai opening about 'Chaipatti' says, "This is just a stepping stone"

By Ankita Mukherjee | First Published Mar 22, 2021, 4:57 PM IST

Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai from the radio world will be debuting in cinemas with a short film, 'Chaipatti' on March 28, 2021.

Sudhanshu Rai is popularly known as Kahanikaar for being a prominent storyteller on the radio for many years. His created character Detective Boomrah is very famous in the radio world. Now, he is coming up with a short film, 'Chaipatti', which will taste different with an aroma of horror-comedy. He spoke exclusively with Asianet Newsable about his journey as Kahanikaar on the radio to short films.

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Q: From web to radio to production, what's next for Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai?
A: Kahanikaar is a person or a brand, an entity or an individual, or a group of team members trying to create stories. People enjoy the audio and audio-visual format when it comes to stories. We started plotting unique stories on thriller, mystery, or our popular character Detective Boomrah.

Hence, we started with audio, then moved to radio to reach more masses. We wanted to fulfil the demand of people who prefer watching stories in audio-visual format with 'Chaipatti'. But I would say the real journey will begin when Detective Boomrah comes alive on the bigger screen.

Q: How do you create your characters? Do you take inspiration from ordinary people?
A: There are two kinds of stories. One is based on practical grounds, which we see in our daily life, and the second is the fictional world. Hence, a good storyteller must match both worlds. So I try to explore those horizons and fit in character like us who can go to a different world and connect this to that world.

For example, ghosts, they are energies right, and many tools can detect their presence, like hypnosis, planchette etc. We thought these are the subjects that have not been explored much, and that is how we created these characters to let people relate and enjoy the feel of the different world.

Q: So you are popular as a mystery and detective storyteller, why did you choose the horror-comedy genre?
A: See, I am a storyteller. I usually enjoy doing detective or mystery thriller. But I have done many horror stories too, and I enjoy comedy as well. So I thought of like this is the right time as people enjoy horror and bits of comedy when it comes to audio-visual format. We wanted to connect to our masses and wanted to give something fresh with our first production.

Q: In the video, we can see one's asking, 'Itni raat ko chaipatti kaun mangta hai'? So how did you conceive the idea of the film?
A: Well, in the film, you will get me as Kahanikaar because I can relate to the character more, and you will find two more friends, one who is a bit darpok (timid) and another one is daring.

You see, I have been a storyteller for many years, and my listeners have often asked whether I have ever seen a ghost. So, that's how the idea came into being. In the film, they call upon the energies by chanting some mantra, and later at night, somebody surprising stop by their house to get chaipatti, whom you will see in the film. From there, the fun and the thrill begins.

Q: Where can we watch your short film?
A: We are very close to signing the legal papers with an OTT platform which we will reveal soon. For our followers, the short film will be released on our official Facebook page and Youtube channel. Not just that, we are also talking to some distributors who showcase short films on their platform for collaborating with us.

Q: How are you planning to promote this film?
A: We are planning three mediums. One will be the influencers and bloggers who write this segment on their page to reach a better audience. Second, the OTT platform will do their internal promotion. We have adopted a strong PR campaign, including the marketing campaign as well.

Q: Will we ever see Detective Boomrah on screen?
A: Yes, you will; our objective is that only. The short film is just a stepping stone. We are trying hard to make a more significant announcement in the next 3 months and hoping that Detective Boomrah will come alive with the full thriller package in the next 6 to 8 months.

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