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Prosenjit, along with Hanuman.com co-star Saloni Pandey, director Gaurav Pandey and cinematographer Oliver Koeppel, was engaged in a short chat with four lucky students from two city colleges at Nandan on Saturday. The topic? The film, of course, and their experiences while shooting for it. But it did not stop there. The current scenario of films in the industry also came up in the course of the discussion.
Gaurav Pandey and Prosenjit started off by addressing the audience of the 4pm show of Hanuman.com at Nandan, talking about how the audience has played a prime role in making their films successful, drawing huge applause from the audience. A few minutes later, a group of four excited and star-struck students walked into the conference room adjoining the hall to engage in a conversation with their favourite star.
They raised pertinent questions about the gradual but marked change in the nature of Bengali cinema, to which Gaurav Pandey pointed out that cinema is a socio-economic product, a documentary of the time in which it is made and, therefore, a medium that will keep changing as society and life around us changes.
Prosenjit spoke about how there should be no language in cinema. “The idea that world cinema refers to only art films has started changing. In Hanuman.com, the subject and storytelling is modern despite the characters being traditional. It’s something that will appeal to both you and your parents,” said the leading actor of Tollywood.
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“You are the future filmmakers of the industry. Make sure you cast me!” he added, drawing laughs from the participants, who were all mass communication students from St. Xavier’s College and Asutosh College.
Cinematographer Oliver Koeppel spoke about how challenging the entire shoot was, especially because of the strong Icelandic winds. “I wasn’t in my comfort zone and it was completely different from what I have done before. The entire visual team, a tiny group of 14 people, did not believe in the god Hanuman at first. But as the days went by, they slowly started believing and whenever we couldn’t do something, they went ‘Oh, Hanuman will take care of it!’ I would love to work with more Indians in future. They are so lively and open-minded,” he smiled.
Saloni Pandey, a Class IX student of Akshar School, shared her experience of acting for the first time in Hanuman.com. “I have never acted before, not even in school plays. Despite being nervous, it was thrilling and exciting. The best part was definitely the travelling. The views are amazing,” gushed Saloni, who pursues debating and dancing as hobbies.
VOICES
“Getting to meet Prosenjit was an experience of a lifetime. It was interesting to hear them speak about how Bangla cinema is now in a position to cater to world cinema while simultaneously sticking to its roots. The camera work was very impressive” — Dipanjan Dutta Chowdhury, fourth-year student of St. Xavier’s College.
“It was really nice to be reassured by Prosenjit that Bangla cinema is changing and improving. I hope he keeps his word and gifts us wonderful cinema in future” — Ankita Saha, first-year student of Asutosh College.
“The chat with the cast was great. It made me proud when Prosenjit said that we were the future filmmakers of the industry” — Chandrima Ghosh, third-year student of St. Xavier’s College.
“The entire experience of speaking to the stars right before watching the film was amazing. The film was also very good. At times, I felt like I was sitting in Iceland itself! I loved the suspense that was created and maintained till the very end” —
Indrani Mukherjee, first-year student of Asutosh College.
