Sandip is unwilling to let out the story that, he claims, is truly a psychological thriller, unlike the casual way in which the term is used in the industry. Interestingly, Hitlist first made it to the headlines because Prosenjit was supposed to do one of the main leads. But he backed out because the character he was supposed to enact had strong negative shades and that this might affect the box-office value of other films where he plays a positive, often, crusading, romancing, lover-boy hero.
Commenting on Prosenjit’s backing out of Hitlist, Sandip says, “It is an ensemble film with equal screen time for all characters. Prosenjit wanted more stress on his character. He decided not to do it and I am glad we frankly discussed the matter. I do not think he would have been able to do justice had he unwillingly stepped into the film.” So, who comes in Prosenjit’s place? Tota Roychoudhury of course, who, despite his great potential as an actor, can dance and do action equally well, has not been able to make it to the top rankers till this day. The major characters have negative shades and most of them revolve around the character Koel is portraying. Others in the cast are Sudipta Chakraborty, Mithun Chakraborty, Shaheb Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, Subhrajit Dutta and Dipankar De. Tinnu Anand who, as a young man, was sent by his father Inder Raj Anand to train under Sandip’s father Satyajit Ray for some time, is also playing a role in Hitlist.
However, the story revolves around the character which Koel is playing. The woman is a young housewife who later takes up a job in an advertising agency. “I chose Koel because I have seen her grow up as Ranjit Mullick’s daughter and her growth as an actress. She retains the innocence her character demands. I have been told that she is a thorough professional and does not carry starry airs. I am certain that she will perform well because hers is a very challenging role indeed. As director, I give a lot of freedom to my actors, so it should not be a pressure on any of them and they would all get scope to explore their potential,” he sums up. With his knack for the suspense genre, Hitlist should fare well.
