Transporting Shakespearean plays to Bengal’s landscape and socio-cultural context is a kind of a passion project for Anirban Bhattacharya. The actor-turned-filmmaker tells us what he brings to the table as a creative director for projects helmed by other makers.

Talmar Romeo Juliet is your third Shakespearean adaptation as a creative director, after Mandaar and Athhoi. Why do you keep going back to Shakespeare?

Anirban Bhattacharya: Shakespearean plays depict a world distinct from our own in terms of place, time and culture. Compared to the ones depicted in adaptations, it is entirely different. In Talmar Romeo Juliet, we have shown the world of Talma, which is an outskirt of North Bengal. We have immersed the traditional Shakespeare play into the milieu of extended Bengal with all its cultural anecdotes. Our challenge is to make the locales in the adaptations believable.

What are the departments you are involved in when working as a creative director for a film?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I am involved in everything along with the crew, from start to finish. For instance, for Talmar Romeo Juliet, it took us one and a half years to put the series together, from script reading to ideation to casting, costumes, colour palettes and mise-en-scene. We spent a lot of time trying to deliver quality content to our viewers. Arpan (Garai) was the director of the show and therefore he had the final say in things, but he would assimilate our suggestions.

How much are you enjoying your role as a creative director?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I love immersing myself in the mind of another writer or creator and oversee the creative process. This helps in my own personal growth. The collaborative aspect of it is very exciting.

How is your background in theatre helping you in this kind of a role?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I have done theatre direction and that helps me work with teams and manage people better.

How do you divide your time as an actor and a creative director?

Anirban Bhattacharya: The team of makers is very responsible and the fact that there is somebody else directing me behind the camera gives me sufficient time to prepare both as an actor and an executive producer.

You keep adding a fictional village setting to your work. Why?

Anirban Bhattacharya: Although there is no fixed agenda, I love to explore the rural lives of people in West Bengal. The urbanisation in cinema has led to an erasure of rural life and this is something I like to explore in my films or web series.

What is next for you as a director?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I don't know exactly. Our industry is not in good shape. It’s important that we sit down and talk about stories that would satisfy both our artistic nuances as well as the producer’s financial expectations.