Abhishek Banerjee on Stree and Mirzapur: “Glad Franchise Films are Happening, They are my FD’s”

Bollywood is bubbling with franchises, right from horror-comedy universes to spy-verses. And when it comes to creating an impact, Abhishek Banerjee comes to mind, especially when you remember the classic, Stree and Mirzapur. The actor is delivering nothing less than memorable performances both on the big screen and OTT.

Banerjee has been a pivotal part of two major film and streaming franchises. The actor is the beloved Janaa in Maddock’s supernatural universe that kickstarted with Stree and now includes Munjya, Bhediya, Stree 2 and Thamma. He is also the intense Compounder in Prime Video’s hit Mirzapur, and will be seen reprising his role in Mirzapur: The Movie, hitting theatres in September.

The actor opened up about whether he finds franchise films repetitive and playing the same character limiting. “I come from the middle class. I am very happy that these franchise films are happening, okay? They are my FDs (fixed deposits), so I have no problems. Please cast me in as many franchises as you can. Keep giving me money, and I’ll try to do my best. I have no problems with it. Please bring it on; 3, 4, 5, I don’t care,” he says.

Having kickstarted his career as a casting director and coming far off from leading a casting agency, Abhishek Banerjee is clear on what fame and success are for him. While the star balances his film vocabulary with commercial powerhouses like Stree 2 and indie films like Stolen, he wants recognition from the audience.

“Right now, I was walking in, and the security guy looked at me and went, ‘Mirzapur, Compounder?’ So he remembers me like that. And I think that’s the kind of attachment, that’s the kind of relationship I want to develop with my audience. It’s a long way to go, but this is the beginning of it. And I want them to know me for my acting and not for what I am outside of acting” he concludes.

After winning hearts with Stolen and Toaster, Abhishek Banerjee buckles up for ‘Legacy’ with R Madhavan, ‘Lust Stories 2’, ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ with the original cast, ‘Side Heroes’ with Rakul Preet Singh and Nora Fatehi, ‘Section 84’ with Amitabh Bachchan, and his writing venture ‘Bollywood Bandar’ with director Anurag Kashyap at the helm.