Swastika and Indraneil shoot for Janala. Picture by Aranya Sen

Tucking her stylish short hair underneath a wig, Swastika breaks out into a smile on the sets of Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s film Janala. The tanned look (she has dabbed layers of dark pancake on her face), cotton sari, long plait and bindi are for her “first arty” role. She’s Mira, a call centre employee who lives-in with boyfriend Bimal Guha (TV actor Indraneil Sengupta).

In the south Calcutta residence where Janala is being shot, Dasgupta’s crew is all nerves, running around with lights, camera and sound equipment.

In an adjoining room, the director has his eyes fixed on the monitor. He is happy neither with the lighting nor with the camera, which is trained on a staircase where Swastika and Indraneil are standing. “Take the camera to the window. I want more light,” hollers Dasgupta.

Indraneil, who’s doing a Tollywood film for the first time, is all set for the shot. A cotton kurta, blue denim and cropped hair are all he needs to play a down-to-earth man working in an old-age home in Purulia.

“I didn’t do much homework for my role. Dada (Dasgupta) told me to do some yoga and think positive. That has calmed me down I guess. Besides, he gave me DVDs of his films Mondo Meyer Upakhyan, Charachar and Tahader Katha. He had also asked me to watch Apur Sansar and Charulata because, according to him, Soumitra Chatterjee is the best actor ever,” says Indraneil, who plays a ghost in Bolly film 1920, that released on Friday.

“I was never keen on acting in a Bengali film as I had never watched a Bengali film. Dada offered me the role when we met in Mumbai and after listening to the story I asked him what happens at the end. Now I know his films are open to the audience’s interpretation,” smiles the Ahmedabad-based Bong, busy with TV serials like Doli Saja Ke Rakhna and Maayka.

What got Indraneil in the groove was the first shot on Day One, okayed at one go. “It was a long shot. Swastika and I were lying down and there was no cut!” he smiles, adding that he’s a lot like his character Bimal. “I too am a dreamer like him. We are similar at the core. I am a nice person, quiet and reserved like him.”

His co-star Swastika too is on cloud nine having got her first shot right. “I was a bit tense as working in Buddhababu’s film is a very different experience. He is extremely particular about everything, from what position my hand is in to how I am standing, looking and smiling. Commercial films don’t need such dedication. For me, it’s a learning experience,” admits Swastika.

Dasgupta is relaxed, having set the ball rolling with Indraneil and Swastika. “Everything went the way I wanted to, except the staircase scene which we had to do seven times. I wanted Bimal to sport a very innocent yet lively look. Once I got that, the shot was perfect,” smiles Dasgupta.