A t2 chat with Namte Namte maker Rana Basu

Rajatava and Rana Basu

namNamte Namte, which released this Friday, is based on Dibyendu Palit’s Trata. What liberties have you taken as a filmmaker?

The story was written 23 years ago and at that time the political party that ruled Bengal is longer in power. Trata highlighted how goons got political patronage back then. What I wanted to tell through my story is that every political party has posha goonda! Every para goonda, don or mafia is looked after by political parties, or else they cannot function. This bit is there in my film.

Are you apprehensive that the present government may take exception to Namte Namte?

See, if the government reacts, I will be happy!

Roopa Ganguly at the premiere of Namte Namte at Priya cinema on Friday. Pictures: Bhubaneswarananda Halder

Saswata Chatterjee plays an anti-hero in a Bengali film for the first time...

Yes and I didn’t cast him after watching Kahaani. I have seen mastaans like Tota (Saswata). Rony (Rajatava Dutta), I’ve known for ages. He is my friend from theatre, a very strong actor. It’s sad that the Bengali film industry has not used him much. This is the first time he plays the protagonist in a film — a middle-class clerk. And Roopa is very suitable as Seema, his wife. I couldn’t think of anybody else.

But Saswata’s Tota has no similarities with Bob Biswas?

No, here he is calm and quiet. He doesn’t kill, he makes other people kill for him. He is educated and has a decent house.