On April 29, a lady and three men stepped into Priya cinema hall just as the end credits of the Kaushik Ganguly-directed Drishtikone rolled. As the lights came on, fans rushed towards the stage, breaking into loud applause at the sight of Rituparna Sengupta, Prosenjit, Kaushik Ganguly and Anupam Roy. Minutes later, t2 caught up with Team Drishtikone for a chat...
Congratulations. The film is running to packed houses...
Prosenjit: I am very happy with the collections, which were huge from Day One. Multiplexes and single-screen theatres are doing great business.
Kaushik: People are watching Drishtikone with a new perspective. The response has been phenomenal from single-screen theatres. The audience has identified with the characters and the story has captured their imagination and moved them.
Prosenjit: Many people are telling me that Jion, my character, is their fave. Senior actors have told me that they really liked my performance. See, the directors of my films are really important to me. The takeaway, apart from the appreciation, is how my director can utilise me in new ways.
People are talking about the way you have used your voice and delivered the lines...
Prosenjit: We did this experiment… to make me look and sound different. The idea was to bring out and establish a certain kind of charisma through Jion’s personality and voice. The quality of someone’s voice, its tone, goes a long way to help build a personality... a voice that would be enough to make a girl fall in love with you.
Kaushik: The voice is so attractive. And the character’s conviction comes out through the voice… his gentleness, tenderness, which is why Jion comes off as very bhadro. And dubbing plays a huge role in building a character. Your negotiation with the microphone is very important, how you are using the angles. That is how you achieve density. And Prosenjit knows how to use the microphone to his advantage and he has used it really, really well.
Interestingly, during promotions the film was projected as a love story and not a romantic thriller…
Kaushik: We wanted to keep a lot of surprises in store. And we didn’t want to reveal everything in the trailer. Otherwise, people would make up their own imaginary scripts and try to match it with the story when they are watching the film.
Early on in the first half you provide an audio clue that hints at a thriller that’s set to unfold — we hear a snippet of a background score that reminds us of the score of Hollywood film noirs from the 1940s…
Kaushik: Yes. It’s a nice way to engage the audience. And those audio or visual clues also help in the mounting of the film. The story evolved organically. For a lawyer and his client to come close, there has to be a mamla. Maybe that case is the thriller. However, the thriller doesn’t overshadow the love story. The idea was to give the love story dignity.
Rituparna, how do you approach a film that has you and Prosenjit in it?
Rituparna: I always feel something spectacular should come out of our collaboration. People have huge expectations from us, from the audience to the producer, exhibitor, distributor. After the success of Praktan, our responsibility somehow got doubled. Drishtikone was our best choice. And when it comes to our scenes, we always complement, never compete.
Was filming the liplock scene with you two tricky?
Prosenjit: We had a very important kissing scene in Utsab. Ritu (Rituparno Ghosh) had told us that he needed a real kiss between a husband and a wife, not something artificial. So after that, this happened very organically.
Rituparna: And the awkwardness was necessary in the first kiss. And the desperation.
Prosenjit: It was not just a kiss. And we believe in not overanalysing the moment…
Rituparna: Then it might get spoiled.
Prosenjit: The climax scene (between Prosenjit and Rituparna) was really difficult. There were a lot of things to say and it was done in one shot.
Rituparna: There was a tremendous conflict of emotions.
Anupam, the songs were a hit before the film’s release…
Anupam: All the songs are serious and sad, and I had a lot of fun writing them! For the last couple of years, I have been keeping happy, so it was tough to feel inspired to write a sad song (smiles). And usually I like to strike a balance between upbeat and sad songs. I first composed Aamar dukkhogulo before the shoot. Lokkhiti happened in 15-20 minutes, and it was with me. I knew that this song had the potential (to be a hit).
Kaushikda, what was your takeaway from this experience?
Kaushik: I am very happy that I could make a mainstream, popular film that has become such a huge success. And if I can make more films like these, then I can make one Nagarkirtan a year. And then more directors will be able to make their own Nagarkirtans.
JUNE ON DRISHTIKONE
Drishtikone strikes the right balance between a love story and a thriller. It is an emotional film and one can relate to the characters. I was moved by Rituparna’s performance, and I felt it was her best after Paromitar Ekdin. It touched my heart and left an impression. She played a complex character and played it really well. Also Bumbada (Prosenjit) is so good. His look was different and the chemistry of the lead pair (Prosenjit-Rituparna) worked. Otherwise the film wouldn’t have been what it is. Also, a special mention for Anupam’s music.
Arindam Chatterjee
Pictures: Arnab Mondal
