Sajarur Kanta is quite engaging, but at three hours it tests one’s patience…
In fact the first cut was four hours long! Then we edited the film eight times. Since the film is not flowing in a linear structure, there are lots of threads. So we had to be careful that all the threads had a definite end. We had to chop very important scenes. I was told by my producer (Pradip Churiwal) to make it shorter but I decided not to because the film wouldn’t have made sense. Besides, in a theatre we are used to spending more than three hours watching ads for half-an-hour. There is a pressure from the exhibitors to keep a film at two hours, it’s part of the business package, which is fine. But there can always be some films which are longer. That space should be given to a filmmaker. People who have loved the film had no problem with the length. And those who are conscious of the length said they couldn’t step out without watching the entire film. 

The setting of your film is 2015. But the lighting and props in some scenes look like they are from the ’60s.
You are right. Maybe because the thought that I was working with a story from the ’60s was there at the back of my mind. And that is there in the making too, be it in shot-taking or the lighting pattern. Keeping half light, the camera is rock steady.... I have my own style of filmmaking. For me composition is very important, use of lens is important. I also believe in giving space and time to my performers. You will notice that the film flows in an unhurried rhythm. There’s no rush, but the story grips you.

Then why didn’t you make it a period film?
Making a period film is a huge problem in Tollywood. Period films made here are confined to rooms. Dibakar (Banerjee) recreated Harrison Road in his film (Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!). We can’t do that because we don’t have the infrastructure. Only wearing dhuti-panjabi isn’t enough. In Tollywood all period films are set-oriented. I don’t think producers are ready to bear the cost.

Ajit, played by Pradip Mukherjee, is a mute observer in this film.
Actually, the Byomkesh portion is very sketchy in the Sajarur Kanta story. It’s just two pages of the entire book. I have used my imagination to create the investigation scenes of Byomkesh in the film. If I had to create complete scenes with the three of them (Byomkesh, Satyabati and Ajit), then I would have had to elongate it further. In fact in the book Ajit had a few more dialogues which I had to omit. I chose Pradipda because he has the look of a novelist and he is aged, so he is someone who is an observer. 

Did you always want to make a Byomkesh film?
No. Rinadi (Aparna Sen) gave me the idea. She said a beautiful film can emerge out of it. I couldn’t say no. Sajarur Kanta, frankly speaking, is not really my kind of a film and after reading the story I was disappointed because I was wondering what cinema would I make from it! The story goes to a mythical level. When you read a story to turn it into a script, your reading has to be completely different. You have to get to the minute details. I felt the logical structure and base was missing. 

My first question was why the killer kills with a porcupine’s thorn? It could have been a knife too. Besides, the way the killer kills, my doctor friends said it’s impossible to kill that way. So these elements were very important because I am not telling a fairy tale. Then the fact that Probal (Koushik Sen) turns into a serial killer because his love interest Dipa (Konkona Sensharma) gets married to someone else. It’s a feeble reason. So I took liberties to make it convincing. I included Probal’s sleepwalking disease, the Raktakarabi part in the film is completely my creation. If I had to make a Byomkesh film then I would have chosen Magna Mainak. Sajarur Kanta is a popular story though.  
 

The Konkona-Indraneil Sengupta (play husband and wife) scenes are very interesting…
Yes, Konkona is a very unpredictable actress, you never know what she is up to next. She is brilliant. On the sets when I would explain a scene, she would listen quietly and I used to wonder if she’s understood what I wanted from her. But during the shot she could surprise you. Even Indra (Indraneil), what a performance! Like his character Debasish, he is a thorough gentleman, a very good actor and a human being.    

Was it your idea to cast Dhritiman Chaterji as Byomkesh Bakshi?
Yes, because we were looking for an actor who is above 60. For me the benchmark was always Chiriakhana and Uttam Kumar. In the Byomkesh series there are 33 stories and Byomkesh moves from a young man to being an ageing truth seeker. In Chiriakhana Byomkesh is middle-aged. In Sajarur Kanta he is above 60 and I wanted a good actor and somebody like Uttam Kumar. So who else but Dhritimanda when we talk of good actors who can add their signature to a character? 

Have you decided on your next?
Yes, with Dhritimanda again. It’s about a visually challenged painter and yes, it’s less than two hours!

Kushali Nag
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