Anjan as Animesh with Soumitra as his father-in-law on the sets of Shesh Boley Kichhu Nei at a house near Deshapriya Park. “Have you seen The Lunchbox?” asked Soumitra. “It’s a fantastic film,” replied Anjan. “Onek din pore ekta film dekhe mon bhore gelo,” said the veteran

Can someone get me a pack of smokes please?” asks Anjan Dutt. Post-lunch he has realised he has run out of cigarettes. A crew member offers him one (his sixth till 2.30pm), while another reminds him not to smoke so many. “I’ll have the next after 30 minutes, lokkho korish. I’ll share the next.... I started smoking when I was 14. But I am trying to cut down. Animesh is also trying to quit. So it helps,” grins Anjan, on the sets of Shesh Boley Kichhu Nei, his latest film produced by Mou Roychowdhury of V3G Films, starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Subhashree and, well, Anjan Dutt.

So, who is Animesh?

I play Animesh, an NRI who has travelled all over the world and settled down in Bangkok. He is a writer... and I come to Calcutta to meet the son I had left behind many years ago. I left Calcutta because my wife died from childbirth in the 1980s. I was traumatised and I left. I went to Berlin, Paris, London and finally settled down in Bangkok. I have been there for eight or nine years, now living with my girlfriend. I am not married, I don’t believe in marriage anymore. I am 60 years old. I am like Jhumpa Lahiri or Amitav Ghosh, an NRI who writes stories.

Tell us about Shesh Boley Kichhu Nei...

One of my books is successful. That’s how the film begins, in Bangkok, where my book is being celebrated. And I get an e-mail from my son, Jojo. He sends a message saying, ‘Look I am your son. I don’t know why you left me. I have grown up without knowing you. I just wanted to connect with you…. I hope you are the same guy. By the way your guitar is with me.’ Then I’m in a kind of flux… ki korbo, uttar debo na debona… my Thai girlfriend says, ‘Why don’t you reply to him?’ So I decide to mail him back. Then a month-and-a-half pass but Jojo doesn’t reply. I keep mailing him, and he doesn’t reply. So I decide to come to Calcutta to see him.

And then I find out that he is no more. He was heavily into cocaine, heroin. I find out that he had written some interesting songs, so in two days I try to trace those songs. His songs are connected to drugs. Andy (played by Jisshu Sengupta) and Jojo were very close friends. I keep going to Andy, who is also heavily into cocaine, to get my son’s songs and make an album, as a tribute to Jojo. In the process Andy finds a father... he was a loner, an addict... he becomes a successful singer. And my father-in-law, Biren Chatterjee (Soumitra Chatterjee), a retired judge, finds a grandson.

Jisshu plays Andy, a drug addict. “I had played an addict in Chitrangada, but that guy was very physical, outspoken, angry… this is something else. Andy is angry but he doesn’t talk much. He is supposed to be a good singer. But he doesn’t want to sing,” says Jisshu

What was the inspiration for the script?

Clayton Rodgers, who had acted in Bow Barracks Forever, was heavily into drugs. And he died. He was so talented... he could have gone to Bombay. I tried to get him out but he just lost it, and he overdosed. That was an important factor in my life. Then I started writing the script.

Why the title Shesh Boley Kichhu Nei?

The song (from the 1996 album Bhalobashi Tomay) is close to the story. We were thinking of a song… when you are completely lost, there is a friend... nothing is completely lost. There is an end to pain. Neel (Dutt) told me to use this song.

You have explored the father-son relationship on screen before...

That theme haunts me. Ekta chhele khunjte eshe aar ekta chhele pawa (finding one son while looking for another), I thought it was very interesting to look into the broken relationships around us, and to find relationships that still hold.

And you are very close to your son Neel…

Yeah… I have been a friend to Neel. I never told him to study, to grow up. His mother Chanda has been instrumental in his education. I have just let him be. So when we connected, we connected as professionals.

You have become introspective. These are very personal films... I am going to stick to it. I think it is very important for Bangla cinema to be introspective. Not only my films… I sincerely hope others also do such films. Ritu (Rituparno Ghosh) used to make these films. It’s important for us to keep it alive. I expected more people to see Dutta Vs Dutta. But nothing happened. I tried to move away once but realised my audience doesn’t want that. They don’t want me to change.

Were you happy with Ganesh Talkies?

No. I was not happy with Ganesh Talkies at all. The characters were a little flat. It’s not the kind of film I can be proud of, it’s a little too simplistic. I was happy that my audience in a way told me, ‘Don’t change’. So I got more confidence and went back to what I was doing in a much more mature way.

Subhashree as Koko gets ready for a scene with Anjan at The Street, The Park. “Animesh wants to know how his son Jojo died.... Koko is headstrong, she speaks her mind. She’s very strong on the outside and sweet inside. She’s a lot like me. It’s just that I don’t have a drug addict boyfriend like Andy!” says Subhashree, sporting a fringe for the film

Do these films provide catharsis?

They do. Otherwise, why would I make these films? I have come here to tell my stories, to unload myself. It’s very important for me to make films not just for the box office and money. Of course, it’s my sustenance. But the fact that I am doing what I want to do makes it so exciting.

Does it drain you out?

It drains me out. I was completely exhausted after Dutta Vs Dutta. I was so depressed. When it didn’t work, I thought, why did I put everything into this? I got angry and made Ganesh Talkies. Then I realised it’s wrong. But at the end of the day, shesh boley kichhu nei. You have to go on. You cannot expect miracles.

Why cast Subhashree and Jisshu?

I was searching for a new face, somebody I haven’t worked with. Subhashree is so open and brilliant. She plays Andy’s girlfriend, Kakoli or Koko. Workshops korte giye dekhlam she has a lot of fire in her. Her character is very fiery, anti-drug, comes from a sophisticated background, studies mass communication.

Jisshu has a major role… he fitted the bill perfectly. He plays the guitar and drums, he has a certain kind of westernisation in him. He has changed his look completely. Sometimes I get pissed off with actors, especially in Bengal. They don’t do homework. That you have to change your look, put on weight, lose weight for the character, I don’t find that here. Jisshu cut off his hair, did whatever I told him. There’s a fire in some of the actors from this generation that is not being tapped. I am sure Jisshu is capable of doing far far better work than whatever he is doing with me.

Both are looking very confident. And after a long time, I am fighting with Jisshu and Subhashree as an actor. I never faced this fight before. With Subhashree, I’m getting the same level of enjoyment I got when I shared screen space with Roopa Ganguly in Yugant. Mone mone ora toiri, and I am also ready… let’s see who wins!

What about directing Soumitra Chatterjee?

I don’t need to direct Soumitrada… he is so natural. He is such an important actor and one of the best. I wanted a little bit of Satyajit Ray-Mrinal Sen battle here (smiles). [Soumitra being a Ray actor and Anjan having acted in Sen’s films]

How is the look different from your previous films?

We are trying to look at the city from an outsider’s point of view. Since Animesh is back after 35 years, he will definitely look at the city differently. So the reference point is The Namesake. We are trying to capture the ethnicity of Calcutta. Bow Barracks, Bong Connection were fantastic. Then the look changed in Ranjana. I was not finding the look I got in Ranjana. I was missing the look. That’s why I brought back cinematographer Supriyo Dutta. So I’ll do the film with a fresh look.

Anjan as Animesh is all charm, waltzing around Roxy, and serenading Jeerapa Leelasangsai (who plays his Thai girlfriend) with a rose and Pat Boone’s That’s Amore. Cinematographer Supriyo Dutta requests Jee to tap her feet to the rhythm. “In this sequence I approach the jazz band playing here and ask them if I can sing one song. I tell the audience that there’s a Thai woman sitting here... it’s her first time in Cal, on Park Street. And then I propose. I ask, ‘Will you marry me?’ I commit to her and the city,” smiles Anjan. Pictures: Rashbehari Das, Pabitra Das and Anindya Shankar Ray

In your films, you often play characters who try to inspire young musicians or instill in them a certain idealism...

It’s very important to be connected to the next generation. My entire crew is young. I always connect with young people. It is reflected in my films. But if you ask me to comment on the Bangla music scene today, I will say that I don’t find the excitement in the songs. I am saying this with a lot of respect for the young people. (Kabir) Suman started the singer-songwriter tradition here. I followed. We wrote our own songs, and the quality of writing was of primary importance to us. Then came the bands. However, the quality of their songwriting is not ahead of us. Also, why can’t the band members stick together for some time? After achieving success, the band members need to stay together for a minimum of 10 years. Why are bands going through so many line-up changes? I don’t understand this.

What is Bangla rock? What are they trying to say? What is the darshon of the new generation? What are they trying to give? Where is the politics, the criticism of society, the anti-establishment stance? Sharakkhon premer gaan shunte bhalo lage na! If you want me to compare them with boy bands, then I’ll say yes they are boy bands, they are Bangla boy bands!

Arindam Chatterjee
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