(L-R) Amyt and Anjan

Anjan Dutt shared the Someplace Else stage with his sons — Neel (real) and Ronodeep Bose (reel) — for the music launch of his upcoming film Dutta Vs Dutta on Saturday. The Dutt(a) boys played songs from Anjan’s semi-autobiographical film which traces the coming-of-age story of a young musician growing up in the ’70s. “Music is very important in all my films but it’s crucial in Dutta Vs Dutta. The songs come at very important points. Doing the music has been very difficult because the film spans a long period and different age groups.... It is coming to Calcutta, experiencing Park Street and its live music scene that has made me who I am today,” said Anjan, playing Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall with Amyt Datta making his usual magic on guitar. “Dylan’s songs made me realise what music is and that I wanted to do more than just entertain,” added Anjan, who has acted in and directed Dutta Vs Dutta (produced by Purnendu Roy and Nilakhi Roy).

Ronodeep and Neel match notes. “Dutta Vs Dutta has four songs, including the Rabindrasangeet Bhalobeshe sakhi, sung by Rupankar and Somlata. My dad has sung an Atulprasadi for the first time... Utho go Bharatolakkhi. Somewhere is an English song penned by my dad and sung by me. It’s a tribute to the ’70s rock scene in Park Street. Tobu jodi tumi is my tribute to the Bengali jibanmukhi culture that was thriving back then with bands like Mohiner Ghoraguli. And then there’s the Dutta Vs Dutta theme song,” said Neel.

Anjan and ‘daughter’ Arpita on stage.

“My favourite numbers are Somewhere and Tobu jodi tumi,” said Ronodeep, quite overwhelmed by Amyt Datta playing beside him. “He is my teacher and I am just a beginner. So sharing the stage with him and acting alongside him in this film has been a dream come true,” gushed thespian Soumitra Chatterjee’s grandson.

Shankar Chakraborty and Arpita with their music CDs of the film. Arpita, who plays Anjan’s daughter in Dutta Vs Dutta, clapped, cheered and sang along at SPE. “The songs are so beautiful! I love all of them but my favourite is Tobu jodi,” said she. When the crowd egged her on to sing, Arpita said: “I am not prepared now but if Neel arranges it for me, I would love to perform some day.”

Text: Madhurima Chatterjee

Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya