EXCLUSIVE! Abhishek Banerjee On Fued With Stolen Team, Jaffa Spin-Off & Rana Naidu 3 Buzz: They Don't Value...

Abhishek Banerjee Filmibeat Exclusive: Basking in the success of Stolen on Prime Video and the recently released Rana Naidu 2 on Netflix, versatile actor Abhishek Banerjee is on a career high. Known for slipping effortlessly into intense, layered roles, the actor has once again left audiences and critics spellbound with his compelling performances.

In an exclusive chat with Filmibeat, Abhishek Banerjee opened up about his creative journey, the viral buzz around Rana Naidu 2 and his character Jaffa, his emotional connection with co-stars, and the truth behind his much-talked-about issues with the Stolen team.

As fans celebrate his latest onscreen wins, the actor reflects on how conviction, collaboration, and conflict shaped these performances. From revealing the challenges he faced on set to sharing hopes for Rana Naidu Season 3, the actor doesn't hold back.

In this candid conversation, Abhishek Banerjee gives fans an insider's view into the making of two of the most gripping projects streaming currently.

Filmibeat: You've been receiving rave reviews for your performance in Stolen. How are you taking all the appreciation and positive reviews coming your way?

Abhishek Banerjee: Only gratitude. I'm just happy that the hard work has paid off. It's also a win of conviction because I was really convinced that this film is going to be unique and something which India has never seen before. And that comes true with all the public reviews and the critiques, and everybody has shown so much support for the film. It's really satisfying as an artist.

Filmibeat: Any review or any feedback from the peers or from the industry that you have liked the most and that you cherish forever?

Abhishek Banerjee: I don't know. I think when Sudip Sharma (screenwriter and producer) said that, I've been wanting to do this. Aur tumne kar diya. Yeah, that was a big, huge compliment because I think Sudip Sir is one of the finest in the business. When the said ki mai apne kaam mei karna chah raha tha but tumne kar diya. That was a big compliment.

Filmibeat: There's also news been coming out that you almost walked out of Stolen due to creative differences. Would you like to highlight what creative differences that you had with the director?

Abhishek Banerjee: Not the director. I basically had a creative difference on the writing. I wanted certain things to be a certain way in the film, and it was not even incorporated. I thought that they don't value my opinion, and they thought that I'm just trying to be a difficult actor. So there was a gap. But then, when we thought, we realized that we all love cinema, and we all actually were just trying to fight for our own creative opinions. And as mature people, we actually sat and talked, we discussed it, and when everybody was happy with the proceedings of the script, only then we went on the floor. That is how a team works. The team collaborates, not argues. I mean, even if it's an argument or even if you're disagreeing, you should learn how to collaborate on a film set.

Filmibeat: The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Do you think the film should've received the same response, if it had been released in theaters?

Abhishek Banerjee: I don't know. I have no answer to that. Until the time it was put to the test, we would not have known. We did not even know that on Amazon Prime Video, it's going to trend in multiple countries. We just knew that we have made an honest film, and we wanted the audience to see the film. Now that they are watching it and they're loving it and everything, we can sit back and speculate that, okay, it would have been a box of success or this and that. But what matters is that it's reaching the audience. And thanks to Amazon for backing us wholeheartedly and supporting us on this journey. And because of that, we are able to show it to a much larger audience than probably would have managed to do with a small theatrical.

Filmibeat: The film has some brilliant scenes. Which scene was most difficult for you to perform on screen?

Abhishek Banerjee: I think for me, every time I was driving in the action scenes and everything, that was quite scary because I was doing live-action there. People were running, and I had to manage the car, the camera, also perform. It was not easy. So whatever you see is exactly what probably would have happened in real life. So yeah, that was the most difficult part for me.

Filmibeat: Talking about Rana Naidu 2, Jaffa is striking in contrast to the show's Violent, chaotic world. What can we expect from Jaffa's character in Season 2?

Abhishek Banerjee: That Jaffa is healing and Jaffa is in love. I think that is the thing which you can expect.

Filmibeat: You compared playing Jaffa to going back to school and revisiting that teenage intensity. Can you share a specific moment during shooting that brought that feeling to life for you?

Abhishek Banerjee: No, because when you were a teenager, we are very vulnerable. We were very affected by what people are thinking, by what people are saying. We are very affected by people's judgment. We are very underconfident. We are very scared of our own self. That is exactly what Jaffa is, of course, with a very dark past. To just play Jaffa, you just go back to that adolescent space where you are so confused and nervous about certain things. The only thing is that this character is not an adolescent. He's way in his late 20s, and that's what makes it special that somebody has not really healed in the entire process of adolescence and youth.

Filmibeat: How do you personally relate to Jaffa's emotional awkwardness and struggles to express love? Was there a part of Abhishek in Jaffa?

Abhishek Banerjee: No, I think I'm very vocal about my emotions. I'm not a very tight person. In fact, I get into trouble because of that. I'm a very emotional person, and I'm not scared of showing my emotions, and I'm not scared of showing my love or affection for someone. And so that is why it was more difficult because Jaffa had to hold everything back. That's why he's probably like a crybaby because his emotions always come out through tears. He's always thinking of himself as a lowlife. I feel very sad sometimes to just see the person Jaffa is, and I hope that nobody goes through those issues.

Filmibeat: Did your co-actors or the director offer any inputs that shaped your portrayal, both in Stolen and in Rana Naidu 2, in unexpected ways?

Abhishek Banerjee: Stolen, of course, because I think Shubham has been my closest friend since college days, and we did theater together. Performing with him was just unlearning a lot of things. He's also a brilliant writer, so he used to sometimes help me with dialogues, which is very rare. Usually, I'm the one who helps others with dialogues. So it was a very, very enriching experience.

With Rana Naidu, I'm not kidding, but Rana Daggubati and me, I think we have become very, very dear friends. I love him for the person he is. It's not about the actor he is, and it's not about that he's the Rana Daggubati. I just love him. I just love the person he is. That really shows in the relationship I have in the show. I have that elder brotherly respect for him, which helps me create the world of Jaffa easier, smoother.

Filmibeat: You have played a wide range of roles, many of them darker and quirkier. Your characters in Stolen and Rana Naidu 2 are poles apart, how do you manage playing both roles at the same time?

Abhishek Banerjee: Stolen is a full-grown man who is caught in the chaos of the crisis. He's somebody who has seen the world, who has lived in the world, who has built a family for himself, but it's very difficult for him to make a choice, the right choice. He's also very much in love with his brother, but also affected by his family and all issues.

Jaffa, on the other hand, is still learning. He doesn't know. He makes choices spontaneously. He bought a house spontaneously, he bought a bike spontaneously. That's the man Jaffa is. He still does not know whether to use his choices in the right way or the wrong way. He also is in a very strange relationship with his brothers and family. So, yeah, both in many ways are quite human, but very, very different from each other.

Filmibeat: Jaffa, the character, has a lot of scope. Is there any possibility of its separate spin-off in the future?

Abhishek Banerjee: That depends on Netflix and the makers, brother.

Filmibeat: As Rana Naidu 2 is grabbing a lot of eyeballs, are there plans for Season 3 as well? Have the makers have a word with the cast for Season 3?

Abhishek Banerjee: Hope so, I think all depends on the kind of audience reaction and love. And hopefully, we get a third season.

Have you watched Stolen or Rana Naidu 2? If yes, share your reviews in the comments.