Prosenjit as Kakababu in Mishawr Rawhoshyo

Mishawr Rawhoshyo is releasing on Saptami. What’s your state of mind now?

Comfortably numb! We’ve struggled, fought, put in our blood, sweat and toil. It has been a very strenuous journey. There were people who had sniggered at the idea of a Bangla movie being shot in Egypt, an action-adventure movie being shot on this scale. I will have to give it to the producers (Shree Venkatesh Films) who went ahead and chased the dream.

Happy with the way the film has shaped up?

Oh yes, very happy. The great thing that has happened in Mishawr is that every department has taken it up to match up to the other departments. There has been a collaborative competition. We were shooting at a very turbulent time in Egypt. That also made it like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Of the three films you’ve made with Prosenjit — Autograph, 22shey Srabon and Mishawr Rawhoshyo — which is your favourite?

I would ideally like to answer this question in 2018. Give me five more years. Let me do some more films with him.

Okay, which is your favourite Prosenjit film?

I loved him in Dosar and Utsab (both directed by Rituparno Ghosh).

Of the three films of yours we have seen till now, what would you like to change if given the chance?

There are lots of portions in Autograph which, if I did today, would be very different. 22shey Srabon, very little can be changed. I might want to change some edit patterns in Autograph and bits of some performances of the actors. In 22shey Srabon, the list isn’t long. The structure is that of a thriller so delicately interlinked. But there is always a scope. Hemlock (Society) is closest to my heart because of its emotional content. Autograph was a fresh film; 22shey was a very clever film, very sharp and smart. But in my judgement, Hemlock is my most emotional film. Hemlock, I think, could have been edited better. But then, I have no regrets.

Over the years, how have you evolved as a director?

I have learnt to become more merciless! I have become more mad. My unit members tell me my insanity level has gone up. I like to work all the time!

Any director in Tollywood you look up to?

I am in awe of Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose, Buddhadeb Dasgupta. I have a huge respect for a lot of my contemporaries. I am very fond of Suman Mukhopadhyay’s work. Atanu Ghosh is very underrated. Kaushik Ganguly, I’ve always been a huge fan of because when it comes to storytelling he is brilliant. I try to learn the sense of adventure of Birsa Dasgupta, the urban slickness of Mainak Bhaumik, the sensitivity of Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. I also look up to the devil-like attitude of Q. He doesn’t care a shit about what people say or think. That joy is something I really envy... then obviously, Anjan Dutt. Oh, there is Shiboprosad (Mukhopadhyay)... he is doing great work. Also Anik Dutta, how can I forget him? Raj Chakraborty... the way he has turned around commercial cinema, it’s fascinating.

Since there are a lot of directors making films now, there’s that much more competition....

I have always tried to look at my previous films and tried to raise the bar because that is the only way you can do it. I just make films and have fun. I am not here to compete, judge, evaluate or monitor. I like making films, touchwood, people want me to make films. The day that stops I will stop making films and shift to bungee jumping!

But you definitely seem to have long-term plans to make films since you’ve floated the production house Tripod Entertainment with friends....

No, they are my friends and I give them advice on which film they should or shouldn’t back. I can’t think of myself as a producer. What I can do is number crunching. Since I was an economist, in fact when I started off I had written a couple of papers on revenue forecasting in Bengali movies and also multiplex screen optimisation. Econometrics is something I enjoy. So if I don’t make films, probably I’ll do data analysis and analytical studies of this film industry.

In between bunjee jumping...

(Laughs) Yes!

A recent film you have loved?

Oh, I would have given the right side of my body to be the director of Bhooter Bhobishyot, Meghe Dhaka Tara and Shabdo.

Coming to matters more personal, the general opinion about you in the industry is that you are arrogant....

I genuinely feel that my contemporaries are doing great work and I speak about them. I am excited about their work and I aggressively open up and talk about their films on Facebook, so that is perceived as ‘Oh achha, so you are patronising’. Maybe that’s why people think I am arrogant.

Srijit with his books. Picture: Pabitra Das

The buzz is that you easily fall for your heroines...

I fall for my characters very easily, not my heroines! But then somewhere obviously they get fused visually, so that might be the notion for this!

Who are your 3am friends in Tollywood?

There are three people I am really close to — Swastika (Mukherjee), with whom I share a lot. We spend a lot of time with each other. I confide in her. I am very close to Indraadip Dasgupta (music director) and Anupam (Roy).

Where do you hang out with them?

I go to their house. The problem is my personal life has gone for a toss for the last three years. I hardly have any time to hang out. I have not taken a holiday for three years. I sometimes hang out at Momo I Am (Lake Gardens), Wise Owl and JaiHind Dhaba, and sometimes when I feel hungry at 5am, I go to Hotel Samilton. I love raater Calcutta. When I am free, I take out my car and go for a long drive.

So, have you planned your holiday post-Mishawr release?

No. I can’t. I will have to take a break after Chatushkon, which will start in December and will go on till February-March. So, no break. Chatushkon is a thriller starring Aparna Sen, Kaushik Ganguly, Goutam Ghose and Anjan Dutt.

Bookmarked

What are you reading right now?
Sharadindu (Bandopadhyay) and Moti Nandi.

Your favourite authors?
Agatha Christie, Jeffrey Archer, Amitav Ghosh, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Manik Bandopadhyay.... Parashuram is a hot favourite. Sukumar Ray and Rabindranath obviously.

A book that has impacted you the most?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Shadow Lines, The Fountainhead. The Mahabharata. Oh, and The Twentieth Wife! I loved it. Want to make a film on The Twentieth Wife.... The Feast of Roses, William Dalrymple’s White Mughals.

What do you read when you are down?
Short stories by O Henry and Satyajit Ray. I love the form of short stories.
What do you like to read when you are taking a break from films?
Anything which is exciting and new. Or I go back to my usual stuff, like Jeffrey Archer short stories, Parashuram or Amitav Ghosh’s latest.

A book that reminds you of your childhood?
Sonar Kella.

Your favourite detective character...
Hercule Poirot.

One book you would love to read to your girlfriend?
Shesher Kobita or Love in the Time of Cholera.

You are a closet addict of...
Asterix.

Recommend five must-reads for t2 readers...
The Twentieth Wife, The Shadow Lines, Parashuram Rachanabali and Kalbela.