With Brown generating curiosity among audiences, director Abhinay Deo has opened up about what drew him to the project, how the series evolved from its literary source material, and why Kolkata plays a far more significant role than merely serving as a backdrop. In a candid conversation, Deo spoke about the themes of morality, human nature, and the unique cultural fabric of the city that shaped the series.

EXCLUSIVE: Brown director Abhinay Deo reveals why the Karisma Kapoor starrer crime thriller captivated him; says “Kolkata becomes a character in the series”

Speaking about what compelled him to direct Brown, Deo shared, “When I was first introduced to the subject, there was no cast attached to it. There was only a book and a loose script presented to me. When I read it, the one thing that stood out very distinctly was that, while it was a murder mystery and crime story, it was much more than that. What truly compelled me to direct it was the way the writers handled the story.

“At its core, it felt like a case study of people, individuals from different walks of life, social strata, castes, and communities. There is a Bihari, a Marwadi, a bhadralok Bengali, along with Anglo-Indians and Chinese characters. All of them coexist within Kolkata, and what fascinated me most was how the story explored human nature, the gradual decay of morality, and how people evolve over time”, he said.

Deo went on to share, “The two central characters — Rita Brown, played by Karisma Kapoor, and Arjun, played by Surya Sharma — navigate not only the decay around them, whether it is the city, social values, or morality itself, but also their own inner demons. Watching them emerge as stronger, more human characters was what excited me the most. Another aspect that deeply intrigued me was Kolkata itself. The city becomes a character in the series — subtly, yet very powerfully. India is an incredibly diverse country in terms of states, languages, and cultures, but Kolkata is one place that seems to embrace every kind of person. Different communities and social classes coexist there in a way that feels unique. Even though it is a metropolitan city, it still carries the warmth, intimacy, and values of a small town, sometimes even a village. That contradiction is fascinating to me, and I felt it was something we absolutely had to explore. Kolkata is one of the last cities that still retains such a strong sense of character and soul”.

“These are the reasons why I genuinely wanted to take on a subject like this. Of course, another exciting aspect was that I had never worked on a series like this before or explored storytelling at such a detailed, human level. Diving into the nitty-gritty and minute complexities of human characters is what made this series such a rewarding experience for me”, he continued.

Deo also addressed the challenge of adapting the story from a book to a visual medium and explained how much of the original material was retained. He said, “When I read the book, I found it extremely compelling, especially because of its rich character details and the vivid portrayal of the city. However, there is always a difference between a book and a screenplay, or a book and a series. Because of that, a lot had to be changed and adapted. A book of 200–300 pages allows you to indulge deeply in details through words, but visual storytelling works very differently. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, you can communicate so much more on screen while saying very little. As a result, several aspects had to be altered or reimagined for the series. Many characters are portrayed differently, and the storytelling approach has evolved significantly.”

“The best way to describe it is this: while the spine of the series comes from the book, the body is entirely something we have created. In fact, when you read the book and watch the series, you may hardly recognise the two as the same story,” he added.

Discussing his approach to portraying Kolkata on screen, the filmmaker explained why he wanted to move beyond the city’s familiar tourist imagery and delve into its lesser-seen corners. “Kolkata has so much to offer that you have to carefully choose what to show and how to show it. What fascinated me most about the city is that, despite being a metropolitan city, it still carries the soul of a small town. With this series, I did not want to portray Kolkata through a tourist’s lens or just focus on its monuments. I wanted to explore the real city, its people, its culture, and its hidden layers. Places like Chinatown and Bow Barracks added so much character and depth to the world of the story.”

He concluded, “Since I do not belong to Kolkata, it was challenging, but I consciously tried to go deeper and capture the city’s true essence. For me, Kolkata became a character in itself, and I’m very eager to see how audiences, especially people from West Bengal, respond to that portrayal.”

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