Acclaimed Bollywood casting director Mukesh Chhabra was the first to approach Arifin Shuvoo for “Jazz City,” marking the start of a nearly three-year journey that led to Shuvoo’s Bollywood debut in a prominent role set to premiere on March 19. An official promotional event in a five-star hotel in Kolkata celebrated this milestone.
During the event, Shuvoo, alongside director Soumik Sen and others, shared insights into his involvement with “Jazz City.” Shuvoo revealed that it was Mukesh Chhabra, not Soumik Sen, who initially contacted him about the project while he was in Nepal. He mentioned that he readily agreed to audition for a web series. Subsequently, he underwent various audition methods, including sending audio clips, conducted by Soumik Sen.
Shuvoo elaborated on the lengthy process, mentioning that the script was sent to him for two years without a confirmation. He traveled to Mumbai for auditions, where many others were also considered for the same role. The selection process involved performing specific scenes after others had tried them, with Shuvoo recording and sending back his takes for evaluation, eventually leading to his casting.
Apart from directing “Jazz City,” Soumik Sen penned the story and screenplay. Known for works like “Gulaab Gang” and “Mahalaya,” Sen had not directed a film since then. He also wrote the critically acclaimed series “Jubilee,” a project that took him seven years to complete.
The political thriller “Jazz City” is slated for release on SonyLIV, featuring Bangladeshi actor Arifin Shuvoo in the lead role of Jimmy Roy, alongside Sauraseni Maitra. The series boasts a talented ensemble cast, including Santanu Ghatak, Aniruddha Gupta, Sayandeep Sengupta, Shreya Bhattacharya, Shataf Figar, Alexandra Taylor, and Amit Saha, among other notable actors from both Bollywood and Tollywood.