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- Before becoming an actor, I was a drummer and a cricketer: Jisshu U Sengupta
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Before becoming an actor, I was a drummer and a cricketer: Jisshu U Sengupta
Jisshu and the Retrodictions in the US
For Jisshu U Sengupta, music is as much about nostalgia as it is about reinvention. With Jisshu and the Retrodictions, he gives beloved retro melodies a contemporary sound, while making each live performance an experience shaped by stories, memories and audience interaction. From taking the band across the US to missing the familiar pull of his para’s Durga Puja, the actor and musician reflects on his many roles in a conversation with CT.
Jisshu playing the drums at one of the shows
From an idea to a bandJisshu and the Retrodictions took shape in 2021, when I was hosting musical shows featuring several of the musicians who are now part of the band. “I would often tell them that we should start a band, but I would invariably forget about it,” I recall with a laugh. One day, they reminded me of my promise and came over to my place, where it all began. Today, the seven piece ensemble, comprising a guitarist, bassist, flautist, keyboardist, percussionist, vocalist and me on drums, is touring the US. Having hosted both two music reality shows, I had got to know several of these musicians through the shows. For the current US tour, vocalist Kushal (Paul) has joined us in place of Shovan (Ganguly), who could not travel as he had recently become a father.
Before acting, I was a drummer by night and a cricketer by day. I was also a founding member of an all actors’ band called Quinine in 2002-03. We released CDs and toured, but eventually stopped because we couldn’t devote enough time.
Jisshu U Sengupta
Reimagining the retro classicsMy belief has always been that the music created in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, right up to 2000, was brilliant. We still turn to Kishore Kumar, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Salil Chowdhury for inspiration and reference. “I often wondered why we couldn’t take those beautiful melodies and give them a newer sound for the younger generation,” I say. The idea is to retain the original tunes while reworking their arrangements. That philosophy also explains the band’s name, Jisshu and the Retrodictions, which comes from the idea of being addicted to retro music. “We are addicted to retro music, and that is what we want to bring to the stage,” I say. Alongside songs by SD Burman, RD Burman, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Salil Chowdhury, we also reimagine folk songs with contemporary arrangements, hoping to help younger listeners connect with these timeless melodies.Selective about the stageWe have performed in Kolkata and Dubai, where we did a show last year. The reason we have not performed more frequently is partly my own doing, as I am constantly travelling between Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad for my acting commitments. I am also selective about the shows we take up. “I don’t want to do just any open show. We mostly do closed door shows, and more importantly, ticketed shows,” I say. Last year, we performed at an event marking Rabindranath Tagore’s death anniversary – Baishe Shrabon, which was a huge hit. We are now working on new arrangements and songs, which we hope to start releasing by the end of this year.
We are addicted to retro music. We want to give those beautiful melodies a newer sound through contemporary arrangements, without changing the original tunes themselves
Jisshu U Sengupta
A throwback picture of Jisshu with his late mother Mukta Sengupta
Missing Pujo back homeDurga Puja felt particularly different this year because, for the first time in my life, I was away from my para’s Puja in Kolkata. I missed it a lot and kept receiving pictures and videos from my neighbourhood. While we had plenty of fun in the US, nothing quite compares to celebrating Puja back home. “There is something special about being in your own neighbourhood during Puja, and I certainly missed that this year,” I say
I lost maa in 2008, but she remains close to my heart. Before performing the segment dedicated to mothers, I share memories of her with the audience
Jisshu U Sengupta
The ensemble with Jonai Singh, the mind behind introducing Jisshu and the Retrodictions to the US diaspora
No two shows alikeOur US tour came about after JS Events, led by concept creator Jonai Singh, approached one of our band members last year, as she had planned to introduce us to the Indian diaspora in the country. I could not commit then because of my work commitments, but we resumed discussions in December and signed the contract in March. This time, I decided to go with the flow. Junaid’s efforts were instrumental in making the tour happen. Without her persistence, the other musicians might have travelled, but I may not have been able to join them.The response so far has been wonderful. I do not think performing for audiences abroad is necessarily different from performing in India. If the sound is good and the music connects with people, they will respond. We have also ensured that every show offers something different. The setlist changed after the first performance, the third and fourth shows had different line-ups, and the fifth combined elements of three shows. Even if someone records a performance and shares it on social media, audiences at the next show get a different experience.We had also prepared a special Durga Puja act featuring 10 Kishore Kumar songs, woven together with a humorous script. Unfortunately, time constraints meant we could not perform it during this tour, but we hope to stage it another time.The emotions behind the musicI do not think performing for the Indian diaspora abroad is very different from performing in India. If the sound is good and the music connects with people, they will respond. We have had a wonderful time on this tour, ensuring no two shows are alike. We open with a mash-up of Aigiri Nandini and Shiv Tandav, while a stripped-down version of Tu Hi Re, featuring keyboards, flute and vocals, and a Bappi Lahiri medley of nearly 11 disco hits from the 1980s are other highlights.I also anchor the show, weaving in stories and audience interaction. One segment celebrates friendship, followed by a friendship medley, while another is dedicated to mothers. Having lost my mother in 2008, I share personal memories before the song. “I want our shows to be an experience, not just a collection of songs. They are interactive and immersive, and I hope people go home feeling they have been part of something memorable,” I say. The response has been touching, with two people recently telling our band member Oritro that our performance had stayed with them even after they attended two or three other shows during Durga Puja. “At the end of the day, we are here to entertain people and give them an experience that stays with them beyond the evening itself.”
We haven’t repeated the same show every evening. The song list keeps changing, so even if someone records a performance, audiences at the next show get a different experience
Jisshu U Sengupta
US tour stops
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Charlotte
- New Jersey
- Los Angeles
- Detroit, Michigan
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