Ananya in Abohomaan

Ananya Chatterjee has pinned all hopes on Rituparno Ghosh’s Abohomaan (produced by Big Pictures), where she pulls off the dual role of theatre queen Nati Binodini and a modern-day film actress. A t2 chat...

How did you bag the offer?

Well, I came to know Rituparno while dubbing for Manisha Koirala in Khela. One evening he called me to say that he was making a film and had thought about a role for me. I was bowled over when he read out the script! I am looking forward to Abohomaan as it’s my first major role in a film. I hope something good happens to my career after this film...

You have a dual role in Abohomaan...

Yes, I play a struggling theatre actress called Shikha, who wants to act in films, and also Binodini Dasi in a film within the film. Shikha auditions for the role of Binodini for a renowned director, Aniket (played by Dipankar De), and gets selected. Even as Binodini and her mentor Girish Ghosh get into a relationship in the film within the film, a relationship develops between Aniket and Shikha. That’s why our film is called Abohomaan, which means whatever had happened before happens even now. The Shikhas and Binodinis of the world get lost and fade away from our memories. Like Binodini, Shikha too is used by her mentor. But they still exist. The actor-director love affair is still so relevant and it will continue to exist forever.... Six years later, in the film, Shikha achieves stardom and she comes to be known as Srimati. It’s like playing three different characters.

How did you prepare yourself?

I read the script as many times as possible. I also read Binodini’s autobiography Amaar Katha. Basically, I had to understand not just Binodini but also Shikha who later becomes Srimati, a completely different character. I was a little scared when Rituparno and I discussed the film. I was more scared on the first day of the shoot! I was very nervous before the first shot. But it got okayed and I was relaxed.

Did Rituparno demonstrate what you had to do?

No, he just let me be. Of course, he discussed a shot before a take as I was a little hesitant initially, but he never showed me how to walk or move my hands. I get very nervous if a director shows me too much, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t need any instructions. I need to know how the director has perceived a scene. Rituparno’s understanding of the temperament of an actor is really good. You will be surprised to know how deep he can get into his characters. If you listen carefully when he reads out the script, a lot of homework is done.

Is there any scene that was difficult to deliver?

I faced a little difficulty while delivering a particular dialogue. That’s when Shikha goes to audition for Binodini’s role. I had to say ‘Pathik tumi path haraiyachho’ in two different intonations — first as a question and then in the jatra style. I wasn’t getting the intonation right as I am not used to acting or speaking in jatra style. Neither have I ever seen jatra. So I went up to Labonidi (Sarkar) for help but she had to leave early for another shoot that day. Then Rituparno told me to ask Montuda (Sumanta Mukherjee, who plays Girish Ghosh) for help. Montuda made me rehearse with him and then I was ready to give my shot, but with my heart pounding!

Which one was tougher — playing Binodini or Shikha?

Binodini’s character is author-backed and therefore it was easier to perform. Playing Shikha was very difficult. See, I can read up many books on Binodini and understand her character graph, but Shikha is a fictitious character. Shikha exists in the mind of the director. Rituparno has conceived her. There was no homework material, no document on Shikha. So, it was a little difficult for me, though this is absolutely my way of thinking.