Coming back with a story after three years, film-maker Kaushik Ganguly’s latest venture Lokkhi Chhele is inspired by a true story, and narrates the incidents that follow after a baby with an extra pair of arms is born in a family. In an interview with t2 before the film hits theatres on August 26, the director recounts his experiences during the making of the film, at the same time sharing valuable insights on film-making and its responsibilities.
The trailer of Lokkhi Chhele has been out for some weeks now. How do you think the audience has received it?
Not just the trailer, but the response to the songs has also been very encouraging. I have seen people who are returning home at night after the day’s work, dancing to the tunes of the film’s track, at a train station. The number of views of the trailer is incredibly high too, it has crossed many lakhs. It is needless to say that my audience’s enthusiasm and interest motivates me to a great extent and makes me want to improve the quality of my work every time.
Where did you get the idea for the film? Have you seen such incidents that are rooted in superstition take place in villages?
The idea of this film is inspired by a true story. Though this particular story is fictional, even as a kid I have seen several instances where children with multiple limbs have been brought to fairs or other places to be displayed for others’ entertainment. It is no secret that they are treated very badly or that they are exploited terribly by society.
Tell us why you decided to call this film Lokkhi Chhele.
In 2005, a girl, Lakshmi Tatma, was born with multiple limbs in Bihar. Her health was declining, until a few sensible, courageous and kind-hearted souls made it possible for her to finally start going to school in Rajasthan, in 2010. Their support meant that she could start leading a normal life. This incident moved me deeply and set me thinking. A baby with multiple limbs, whether perceived as an incarnation of a deity or a freak of nature, is used and exploited to earn money. In my film, the young people who think of ways to make the baby’s life better are the lokkhi chheles and lokkhi meyes. Instead of avoiding responsibility, they are citizens who stand firm and resolute during any crisis and strive to make the right choices.
This film has a fresh crop of actors portraying leading roles. In what way did this affect the film-making process?
For them, as well as for me, the process has been very positive, smooth and seamless. These young actors carry very little baggage and could therefore become their characters very easily. I believe that is extremely important. In fact, I have often worked with newcomers (in Rang Milanti) and even non-actors (in Chotoder Chobi). Given a chance, I never miss the opportunity of working with fresh actors. In this film, I have cast each of these actors because, for me, they were most suited for their respective roles.
What was it like directing your son for the first time?
As a father I had always wanted to direct Ujaan in a film, but I could never do so till now. I have worked with youngsters of his age, Riddhi (Sen) and Rwitobroto (Mukherjee), as they had fit best into the roles I had to offer. In fact, neither I nor his mother (Churni Ganguly) have forced him to pursue acting. During college, he auditioned and was selected for his first film (Rosogolla) for Windows. Later, Windows proposed that I direct him in this film. Lokkhi Chhele also marks the first time our whole family is working together in a film: my wife Churni and son Ujaan as actors and I as a writer/director.
What was it like shooting in Purulia? What sort of challenges did you face?
Firstly, I must mention the weather. The heat and the sweat made it very difficult to work, it drained our energy completely. Sometimes it rained so heavily that we got completely drenched. Actors’ costumes got wet and had to be ironed before we could shoot again. We also had a unit with around 2,000 junior artistes, and it was tough to manage all of them. But Windows did an admirable job arranging for their meals and conveyance every day. Another thing I saw was the abject poverty. Our local artistes would arrive early in the morning every day and stay till evening when the shoot ended, obediently doing whatever they were required to do, and never missing a day’s work. It is only much later that I realised that one of their main reasons for coming was that it ensured they got three square meals a day, something they could ill-afford on other days.
Do you think it is essential for a film to convey a message? What have you tried to convey through this film?
I do not believe in meaningless entertainment. In a country like ours, cinema becomes a complete waste if it is not made to serve any greater purpose, especially since we have to spend a lot of money to make it. I also believe that any film, no matter which genre it belongs to, will definitely deliver an important message, though not in a preachy or didactic way, if it is written and crafted well. Finally, as a film-maker, I should be able to justify to myself why I have made the film, leaving aside its business aspect. It is also my duty towards my audience, who have spent their time and money to watch my film, to give them something worthwhile to take back home with them.
Through this film, I want to go beyond the concerns of caste, religion and politics to address core issues of superstition and ignorance. I wish to spread awareness of the grave injustices and crimes being committed in the name of superstition. Through my craft, I want to do my bit to help broaden people’s minds so that they can rise above harsh and cruel prejudices.
In films like Ganashatru, Satyajit Ray had talked about the clash of science and superstition. In what way is your film similar to the earlier one?
Ray’s film had raised the problem of science versus superstition in a completely different context. We were shown that ‘holy water’ of a temple was contaminated, making devotees fall ill. But religion and superstition stood in the way of truth being made known, with obvious consequences. In my film, we deal with a heart-breaking, true fact, where a child suffers because of the superstitious beliefs of just a very limited cluster of adults, and human life is held at stake. Both stories highlight the evils of superstition, in different ways.
What is important is that such films and many others like them, make an attempt to highlight the curse of blind faith and ignorance.
Do you think cinema has the power to bring change?
Well, as I said earlier, I strongly feel that a continuous effort needs to be made by not only film-makers, but artists, writers and others to contribute to this process of generating awareness. The success of their intent in impacting the minds of the reader or viewer will depend on how seriously the creator approaches their craft, and the level of their own commitment to it. In this way, through a continuous process of tiny changes, a significant mental shift away from superstition and prejudice can be possible. For instance, Nagarkirtan and Arekti Premer Golpo have tried to make us more sensitive to queer people and their problems. After the success of Chotoder Chobi, dwarves have been formally acknowledged as physically challenged persons and have gained acceptance in society. Our intention in Lokkhi Chhele is also very serious — to spread awareness and touch people’s hearts so that babies born with physical anomalies are treated with love and are allowed to lead normal, healthy lives.
You recently met South Indian superstar Allu Arjun on your way to London. Could you share something about that meeting with our readers?
We spoke at length about regional films and the possibility of showcasing our movies in Bangladesh, and vice versa, as that would greatly benefit the economics of our industry and allow us to do better work. Unfortunately, however, though efforts have been on for years, nothing to this effect has worked out so far. When he learnt that Churni and I were going to visit our son in Oxford, he expressed the hope that Ujaan should work in films and gave his blessings too. It was a great pleasure to meet and talk with him. He is such a huge star but is extremely humble, and a perfect gentleman.
What’s your opinion on OTT platforms and what do they mean to the entertainment industry?
I believe OTT is the future of on-screen entertainment, but it is definitely not a threat to the medium of cinema. The cinema-viewing experience is completely different because of its vastness and the practice of going out of the house to watch a movie. OTT series can be a competitor to television soaps. I would say that OTT can be compared to food delivery apps, which deliver to our homes whatever we have ordered. But they can never be a substitute for the experience of dining out with family and friends.