Raikishori is an aspiring filmmaker who will make her film Good Morning, Sunshine only if Radha, a yesteryear Bollywood diva, agrees to be a part of it. Both, incidentally, are characters in Sanjoy Nag’s bilingual film, which is also titled Good Morning, Sunshine.

Yes, you’ve guessed it right from the pictures, Sanjoy’s film stars Rituparna Sengupta as Raikishori and actress-turned-director Revathy as Radha. It has been shot in the Sunderbans, Mumbai and Lucknow.

“I am a huge fan of Revathy and her work. I know her personally and she is aware of my work. When I sent her the script, she agreed to do the film. It was great shooting with her in the Sunderbans because she is a licensed sailor and we had only boating sequences. Revathy in fact loved the place and wants to go back,” said Sanjoy, whose last film Parapaar was also on the journey of two women, played by Rituparna and Paoli Dam.

“Parapaar was about two women from different stratas of society. Good Morning, Sunshine is about the journey and self-discovery of these two women together. When Raikishori decides to convince Radha to play the protagonist in her film, the two women go through a lot of ups and downs. They fight and then bond.... I’m very comfortable dealing with issues regarding women in my films,” Sanjoy added.

“The role challenges me and having seen Sanjoy’s previous films, I was confident about working with him. Frankly, each time I read the script I find Radha more fascinating.... The Sunderbans are one of those rare locations and it was a challenge for us to shoot with the tides coming in and going. It’s fascinating to see nature and humans living together and understanding each other... though my sailing will be of no use there!” Revathy told t2. 

Lack of proper sanitation facilities for women is an issue that has been raised in Sanjoy’s film. “I have travelled with filmstars and realised how poor the sanitation system in our country is for women. I have seen women not drinking water while on the road to avoid going to the washroom because there isn’t one nearby.... This is a sub-plot in my film.”
Good Morning, Sunshine also stars Tejaswini Kolhapure and Shweta Tripathi. “Tejaswini plays Jamini and Shweta plays Lilavati, whom Raikishori and Radha meet in the course of their journey,” Sanjoy added.
The English-Hindi film is produced by Akash Chatterjee Productions.

Kushali Nag