Divya Dutta, Anupam Kher and Rajit Kapur in Morning Walk

His name may not ring a bell but Arup Dutta has steered several popular soaps and serials like Tara, Saturday Suspense and Star Best Sellers. Ready with his big screen directorial debut Morning Walk, that also marks Inox Motion Pictures’ foray into movie production, the 44-year-old former Lake Town resident who now lives in Juhu tells t2 about his Hindi film and its links with Calcutta...

Why is the film called Morning Walk?

The film has three twists in the tale, all happening during a morning walk. It’s a story about two ex-Presidency College students, Joymohan (Anupam Kher) and Nilima (Sharmila Tagore), who were in love in their younger days but separated during a Naxal agitation. The story opens with Anupam walking around a park in the morning when he suffers a heart attack that brings about a big change in his life. The story darts back and forth and you get to see how the separated couple bump into each other during a morning walk in Shimla 10 years later. They bond, take a walk down memory lane only to separate again. Twenty-five years later they meet again in Mumbai, once again during a morning walk.

How tough was it getting Anupam and Sharmila on board?

Since it’s my first film I tried to tell them about my previous work but they were only interested in the script. They got back to me within two days of reading the script, expressed that they liked my storytelling style and were ready to do it.

Why did you want Anupam and Sharmila?

Since my story is very Bengali with Calcutta as the initial backdrop, I needed someone who would be very believable. I felt that Anupam with the right get-up would fit Joymohan’s character of a Bengali professor. Similarly, for Nilima, a student of Presidency College who later becomes a university lecturer, I needed someone who would fit the look and personality of an ageing Bengali woman and I could only visualise Sharmila.... This is the first time in 25 years that Anupam and Sharmila will come together in a film. They were last seen together in Jawaani (1984).

Who else is there in the cast?

There’s Nargis, who had acted in Garam Masala. She plays Sharmila’s daughter, and Shayan Munshi who plays her boyfriend. There’s also Rajit Kapoor, Divya Dutta and Avika Gor, the little girl playing the title role in the serial Balika Vadhu.

Is it an arthouse film?

No, Morning Walk is not arty at all. It’s a family drama with a very intense story simply told.

Does Calcutta have a strong presence in the film?

The opening title of the film offers a glimpse of the city. We had shot in landmarks like Rabindra Sarobar, Hooghly, Dakshineshwar Kalibari and Howrah, We also have a bird’s-eye view of the Race Course and Victoria Memorial. A flashback, set in the 70s, was shot in a Kumartuli lane. I’ve tried to capture all that would make Calcutta recognisable.

There is a strong Calcutta connection in the cast and crew...

Yes, starting from my art director Kartick Chakraborty to producer Tapan Biswas of Cinemawallah, who had also produced Titli and Utsab — more than 50 per cent of the unit comprised Bengalis based in Mumbai. Sanjeev Tiwari of Calcutta has written the lyrics for all the songs. They’ve been composed by Jeet Gannguli, very different from what his Bengali audiences are used to. Soumili Biswas plays a young Sharmila.

What took you so long to make your first film?

No matter how good a script you write, unless you have a saleable star you won’t find a financier for your film. Since I didn’t have that, it was difficult to make a breakthrough. In Calcutta I had made Agnisanket with Soumitra Chatterjee back in the 90s. I didn’t want to do something nonsensical, so I ended up making corporate films and teleserials.

What are your other projects?

One is called Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which I’ll start shooting around September. It’s about a boy and a girl who end up as losers and decide to die. That’s when destiny brings them together and restores their faith in life. The other is a musical called Album. It’s about two struggling talents from the worlds of fashion and music and their relationship, which is not romantic but matures through mutual admiration.