Both of you had starred in Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay-Nandita Roy’s Praktan. Did you think they would cast you once again, in Posto?!

Anupam Roy: Not at all! I don’t think Shibuda will cast me ever again (laughs). He has learnt his lesson. Shibuda has been telling me to act since Ramdhanu. Finally he was successful in Praktan. I don’t want to act. I don’t like to see myself on screen. What will a non-actor like me do in the midst of all these real actors?!   
Anindya Chattopadhyay: (Laughs out loud) I had no such expectations.
 
The Posto Songs

KENO EROKOM KICHHU HOLO NA

Anupam: This song comes at the climax of the film and revolves around all the characters. So I made sure that the song has a structure that connects all of them. They are going through some kind of pain and I wanted to bring that out. It’s a piano-driven number and the piano goes very well with the mood of the song. Nachiketa has sung it. I really like his voice, style of singing. Many people asked me why I didn’t sing this song. In fact Nachida also asked me why I wanted him to sing the song. I felt the song would really go well in Nachida’s voice. The song comes at a point when the characters are thinking that they have to accept something which they don’t want to. And they want something else.

POSTO TITLE TRACK

Anupam: I was really happy to write this song because I have never worked in this genre before. The title track is simple, catchy and energetic. It’s a typical Bengali melody punched with electronic elements. The rhythm has a hint of dubstep. Posto lives in the suburbs, goes to school, loves playing and is growing up with his grandparents. And the kid is close to nature. So the song captures all of that. Writing the song brought back memories of my childhood and that informs the song as well. As a kid I went out to play in the evening. I would lie down on the grass and roll around. Threw stones in the lake. I was asked to maintain a routine, which I followed only for two-three days (laughs).  

JONAKI

Anindya: This song captures the father-son relationship beautifully. They wanted a song that had the feel of Bhindeshi tara, so it has that kind of a flavour. The  situation of the song is slightly surreal. With fireflies hovering around, the father (Jisshu Sengupta) cycles through pitch-blue darkness. His son Posto sits at the front on the cycle. And the father is telling him about the fireflies, and the light that emanates from them.

HOME SHANTI HOME

Anindya: This song comes during a family reunion that happens after a long time and the father, mother and son have a great time dancing to this tune. So I made it like a calypso number.

What sets apart the music of Shiboprosad-Nandita’s films?

Anindya: They create these lovely situations to use our songs. They do complete justice to the music.
Anupam: Shibuda enjoys music and also respects music directors… it is evident in the way they place the songs. Shibuda knows his audience, he has a story to tell, and he wants to reach out to the people. I respect his clarity of thought.

Meanwhile, a new trend has started in Bengali films where the characters start speaking midway through a song. Either the songs stop suddenly to let them speak or the song plays on even as characters exchange dialogues. This was not the case before. These days, we all see that often the song is dispensed with suddenly to make way for other sounds whose source is visible on screen. The music directors actually hate it. We want the songs to be used as a whole without any interruptions or intrusions.

Anindya: What also sets them apart is their selection of subjects, and the way that story or theme connects with the lives of the common man. The emphasis on the dialogues and the Bangaliana comes through.