Parambrata and Pauli in Kalbela

For Goutam Ghose, shooting Kalbela (releasing on January 16) was like taking a trip down memory lane. The director tells t2 how today’s youth can relate to the Seventies’ saga of love and war...

Kalbela was supposed to be for TV. What made you turn it into a film?

Kalbela was a mini series, a 10-episode serial. Doordarshan had asked me to do something with a Sahitya Akademi award-winning novel. Many directors are part of this project, like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Girish Kasaravalli. After I started shooting, the committee appointed by Doordarshan, which has people like Mrinal Sen and Madhabi Mukherjee, decided that Kalbela had the potential to be made into a feature film. I agreed.

Why did you choose Kalbela?

It had the potential to be adapted for the screen. It’s a saga. It’s a popular novel of the Sixties and Seventies. I was a student at that time and the lead characters, Animesh (Parambrata Chatterjee) and Madhabilata (Pauli Dam), were familiar to us. I have shown the film as if it’s a diary of Animesh, who is around 50 years old and is remembering his past. He is remembering a turbulent Calcutta, his love, friends, the political conflict. But basically, Kalbela is a love story.

Goutam Ghose

Why has it taken a year to release the film?

Since I had started shooting it for TV, I needed time to turn it into a film. I had conceived it on a smaller scale. Later, I had to make it from a wider perspective. It was difficult but it has worked out well. The TV version is much more elaborate.

Capturing old Calcutta must have been challenging...

I haven’t idealised or romanticised that period. It was a different time. There was the Bangladesh war, Maoism, Vietnam war on the one hand, and the Beatles and marijuana on the other. The Naxal movement is only a backdrop. It was challenging perhaps to recreate the look of Calcutta as it was then, though much of north and central Calcutta is still the same. I was surprised to see that the Calcutta University canteen is as it used to be. Plus, a lot of Coffee House is still the same, except the introduction of the Chinese menu. But we’ve shot a major portion on the sets. Samir Chanda is the art director.

Was it a nostalgic trip?

Yes, I have seen it all. We would participate in anti-Vietnam protests in the afternoon and listen to Beatles and maybe puff marijuana in the evening. (Laughs)

Why did you choose Parambrata and Pauli?

I wanted to show a 19 or 20-year-old who matures into a 30-year-old and Parambrata fits that age bracket. Pauli has very expressive eyes. She is a lot like Madhabilata — dusky, not cosmetic. There’s also Rudranil Ghosh and Soumitra Chatterjee. My daughter Anandi plays a small role. She’s Nila, Animesh’s friend.

Can today’s youth relate to Kalbela?

I think they can. People will enjoy the film because it is a love story. Madhabilata is like a deep-rooted tree. She doesn’t support the political ideologies of Animesh but she supports him. I think today’s youth will find Animesh interesting.... Kalbela will be aired on Doordarshan later. The TV version has more subplots.

What next?

My next film is an Indo-Italian project titled Lala. It revolves around the encounter of a writer-filmmaker and a little boy who has left his country to buy land for his family. Much of the film is about the resilience and honesty of this boy. Lala will be made in both Hindi and English. It’s based on the book by Italian writer Sergio Scapgnini. I had read it and liked it very much. The other film I am planning is an Indo-Bangladesh production based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novel Moner Manush. The film tracks the journey of a boy who becomes Lalan Fakir. I will start shooting during the monsoon.

Kushali Nag