Houseful shows and rapturous applause have signalled the box-office sweep of Dhumketu, starring Dev, Subhashree Ganguly and Rudranil Ghosh. Directed by Kaushik Ganguly, Dhumketu is a gripping tale of love, loss, and the scars of war and extremism. The blockbuster film has shattered many records, notching up more than ₹ 10.16 crore in the first four days of its release. A t2 chat with Dev...
Congratulations on the success of the film.
Dhumketu is an emotion for me. We waited 10 years for this day... and I always felt this was my best film; this was Subhashree's best film; and this was Kaushikda's best film. We knew it was an important film.... but yes, we did not expect this level of success. The hype was immense surrounding the film, and it grew with each passing year. The level of expectations from fans was tremendous, and we are all very happy that we could meet those expectations. We have crossed ₹ 10 crore in four days, and it is a landmark moment for Bengali cinema. People have appreciated our hard work and our performances. We had houseful shows at 7am on the opening day. It is huge. The success has given me immense satisfaction. We had been fighting to get proper shows for Bengali films for a long time, and finally prime-time screening of Bengali films was made mandatory in theatres across the state.
Fans want to see Dev and Subhashree come together in a new film. They are clamouring for more.
It is too early to comment. In the future, if someone approaches us with a script, we should feel that only we can do justice to the characters. If I feel Subhashree is perfect for a role, and if she feels I am perfect for a role, then only we can think about it.
Are you open to pairing up with Subhashree for a film?
Yes, we both are open to the idea. But it should be meaningful and important.
For the promotions, you and Subhashree started interacting with the media separately. When did the two of you decide to come together for the trailer launch?
My manager was coordinating with her team. Initially, we were undecided. We were not sure about the right time for us to come together on stage. Meanwhile, social media was flooded with congratulatory messages. The Dev-Subhashree pair was receiving a deluge of love from the fans. From a producer's point of view, I wanted to do something different for the promotions.
It couldn't be like the promotions of Khadaan.
Right. I wanted to build the world of Dev and Subhashree and take the audience on that nostalgic ride. My team came up with some ideas, and we decided to do an event at Nazrul Mancha... that had never happened in Bengal before. It had to be wholesome. The event had to connect with people across Bengal. So for that, I knew that we had to create the world of Dev and Subhashree... through songs, and dialogues from our films. I knew people had a lot of questions about us. So we decided to have a Q and A session on stage that would answer all the questions of the fans.
We came up with questions which were sent to her by my team. Subhashree was fine with a few questions, and then she said 'no' to a few questions. We had full consent from Subhashree. We did not want to impose anything on her.
Where did the two of you meet for the first time?
In the green room, before we took the stage. We exchanged pleasantries. Everything had to be in sync, and we rehearsed our dance steps. The film is all about positivity, and I wanted to start the session on a positive note.
There was a moment on stage when both of you decided to follow each other on Instagram.
Yes, our teams surprised us with a few questions, and this was one of them. This occurred on the spot and became a major talking point.
Then, there was a moment when you talked about Shontaan. Was that scripted?
No, the Shontaan question was rejected initially! It happened on the spot and we decided to go with the flow of the moment. And after a while, the interview session became totally unscripted. The show director gave up on us (laughs).
We often see you caption your Instagram posts with the word 'emni', which was uttered by Subhashree in Challenge. Is there a connection somewhere?
No, not at all. I came up with this caption... since I did not want to take up so much time writing captions, I decided to go with the word 'emni'. I am not someone who writes long quotes or poetry for captions. That is not me.
Tell us about the dance moves on stage.
I knew that the audience would love to see us dance at the event. We did a short rehearsal... we knew what we would perform on stage. Some were choreographed; some were spontaneous. Now watch the videos again... you'll see my lips moving... I was telling her how I will finish or lead a sequence or do a pose.
Both of you arrived at Naihati's Boro Maa Kali Temple, matching in red. Was that scripted?
No, not at all. It was not the plan. I didn't inform anyone what I was going to wear. I had four options and I picked red. It is also my favourite colour. I was also surprised when I saw her wearing red. I had no clue she was going to wear red on that day. Even she did not know that I was going to wear red. It was a coincidence. The colour went well with the occasion.
Made in 2015, Dhumketu was the first film from your production house. And you play an antagonist. Why did you decide to go ahead with this film?
I wanted to do something different as a producer. I have always gone against the tide. This film revolves around the performances. At that time, I wanted to get out of the trend of making remakes. I had done Bunohaans and Chander Pahar before this. And Dhumketu had a great subject, I believed in it, and Kaushik Ganguly is a fantastic filmmaker... and I knew this kind of cinema would become mainstream in the future. And I was proved right. Dhumketu has shattered all box-office records.
Do you think Dhumketu would have scored these huge box-office numbers if it had been released in 2016?
I don't think so. Whatever happens is for the good. God has been kind.
Can there be a sequel to Dhumketu?
Dhumketu has become an emotion. And you cannot recreate an emotion. It's too early to comment. It is up to Kaushik Ganguly now!