What: My Lansdowne Memories presented by 85 Lansdowne 
Where: 85 Lansdowne; 85B Sarat Bose Road
When: April 13 onwards; 11am-7.30pm

Bhowanipore boy Joy Mitra is celebrating his homecoming with an exhibition at 85 Lansdowne, his first ever showcase in Calcutta. This after designing for a decade! t2 dialled him in Delhi, which he now calls home, for a chat.      

This is your first ever showing in Calcutta. What took you so long to show in the city you were born and brought up in?

Absolutely! I have shown the world over, but not in Calcutta! Funny, but true. I was born and brought up in Calcutta… in Bhowanipore. Lansdowne Market was my bus stop! So, it is a coincidence that I am showing in Calcutta for the first time at 85 Lansdowne. I believe everything happens at  the right time. I was in Calcutta after three years a couple of months ago. Pooja (Goenka, partner at 85 Lansdowne) has been asking me to do something in Calcutta for a very long time now. This time when I was there, I was like, ‘Issh! Aami keno korchhi na?!’ And when you are walking down Lansdowne and everything just suddenly comes back to you…. I told Pooja let’s plan. We decided on the date sitting on that bed (a 85 Lansdowne signature) over cups of tea. 

How did that trip go?

I just took my camera and aamar bhalobashar jaiga gulo tey hathlam. I love taking pictures. Had I not been a designer, I would have been a photographer. I went to Northern Park, Victoria Memorial, Park Street, had breakfast at Flurys… rested for a bit at Peter Cat and had Prawn Cocktail. I also love Golpark. I studied arts at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture and studied BCom at South City College followed by NIFT, Calcutta.    

Tell us about My Lansdowne Memories…

I am tense because I haven’t finished the whole collection! I am getting only Chanderis (kurtas, saris and Anarkalis)… mostly summer eveningwear. I am getting a lot of colours. Initially I had thought I’ll get subtle colours like creams, pale blues and peaches, but you have to think about everyone. (Laughs) So, I am also getting mint greens and mango. 
My creative connect with Calcutta had started with Rituparno Ghosh. I hadn’t worked in Calcutta before that. Aamar aagey mone hochhey Rituda’r katha. I am dedicating my creative journey to him. I owe a lot to him. It’s a remembrance as well as a dedication. 

When did you first meet Rituparno Ghosh?

Around 2004-05. Ota aamar kachhey ekta bishal paoa and a huge turning point. I had never imagined that Rituparno Ghosh would love my creations so much. I met him at an event and I really wanted meet him after that… he called me over to Indrani Park (his south Calcutta residence). I was panicking that I was half-an-hour late, but he was so cool. I was there for the whole day! After that he visited me several times when he was in Delhi. It was a big deal! Rituparno Ghosh bari eshechhey! We have eaten at Chopsticks at Siri Fort together and shopped at South Extension. Such nice moments! 
Rituda touched so many people at so many levels, je jar shathey katha boley shey mone korey Rituda tar-i! He was very honest about his feelings. I have done all the costumes for Khela and Dosar and also been involved in various other projects of his. It was great fun working with him. He would suddenly ask, ‘Ei Bumba’r (Prosenjit, who starred in both Khela and Dosar) jonyo ki lighter debo?’ So, that whole feel… you cannot forget that! I can go on and on about Rituda! 
I have learnt so much from him. We were shooting in Bamanpokhri (north Bengal) for Khela. One whole scene had been shot, but when Rituda saw the rushes, he didn’t like them. Everyone broke for lunch. Rituda didn’t. He sat there, on a sofa, and wrote the whole scene again in five-10 minutes! And, ekdom bodley gelo! Ki korey bhablo, ki korey korlo… unthinkable!   

And as a costume designer I couldn’t get away by just giving him a beguni sari. I had to show him all the details. He decided whether it is working or not. And then he would ask: ‘Keno tor eta mone hochhe?’ I had to explain why I picked it!
For Dosar, I freaked out when I saw it was in black and white. Whenever I would design, I would click a picture and put it in a black-and-white filter to see how it’s looking. That was a different kind of an experience for me. 

So when you are showing for the first time in Calcutta, Rituparno Ghosh had to be a part of it?

Absolutely! My Calcutta memories started with Lansdowne and Rituparno Ghosh. My Lansdowne Memories is a melange of the two. 

You want to explore more of other cities too? 

This is the first year I didn’t do fashion week. Aamar mone holo ebar journey ta ke bodlai. I sell at all the top stores (like Ensemble, Aza, Ogaan) in the country, but I haven’t travelled.… I have decided to travel to every city this year and interact with people. Dekhbo shohor ta ke… chinbo… and I start with Calcutta. I head to Raipur and Bangalore after this. 

So, a ‘discovery of India’?

Absolutely! 

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