Is Achin Pakhi a remake of a Bangladeshi film?

Yes, it’s a remake of Monpura, which released in Bangladesh in February and became a superhit. Gias Uddin Selim (the director of Monpura) has written the script of Achin Pakhi. I have made some changes to suit Indian sensibilities but the story remains the same. Monpura was very dramatic, while Achin Pakhi will be subdued. It will have the touch of my style of filmmaking. I have used silence, my trademark.

What is Achin Pakhi all about?

Manalispeak: Though I play a village girl in Achin Pakhi, it’s different from Bou Katha Kou. I want to portray different characters on screen and I don’t want to get typecast. I couldn’t prepare much to play Pakhi as I had no time. I have been shooting simultaneously for the film and the serial.

It’s a simple love story about Achin (Subrat) and Pakhi (Manali), set in a village. Achin, who is accused of murder, takes shelter on an island where he falls in love with Pakhi. But Pakhi is forcibly married off to a mentally unstable man. Achin is arrested and sent to jail, and Pakhi commits suicide. It’s a mainstream, very commercial film. We are using the music of Monpura. There are five songs, two of which are folk numbers. Joel Kabir of Bangladesh is the music director.

Why did you want to make a “commercial” film?

Actually, there are very few producers to back the kind of films that I want to make or believe in. Achin Pakhi is very different from the kind of films I am used to making. In that sense, it’s an experiment for me. This is a teenage love story and I thought of making a simple film. I wasn’t really supposed to make this film. I was getting ready to make a film on Manik Bandopadhyay’s Holudpora, but that got shelved at the last moment.

Why did you cast Manali and Subrat?

(Clockwise from top left) Subrat, Manali and Anjan on the sets. Pictures by Aranya Sen and Amit Datta

My producer R.D. Bansal wanted Manali in the film. I didn’t know that she was very popular. One day I watched her on STAR Jalsa’s Bou Katha Kou and thought she would suit the character. I needed someone who is very young. Manali is talented but sometimes she becomes too dramatic. She is better when she is controlled. Subrat is one of the better actors around.

You have shot a major portion of Achin Pakhi in Taki...

Yes, Achin Pakhi is very visually rich. We shot on Machhranga Dwip in Taki, very close to the Indo-Bangla border. Also, because I needed some river shots and we got the Ichhamati there. We used a dilapidated house, which used to be a government guesthouse, as Achin’s shelter. The rest of the portions were shot on a boat on the Ichhamati. The water level rises up to 15ft during high tide. We got permission from the BSF to shoot till 5pm. We would reach the location by boat everyday.

What’s next for you?

I will start shooting for Bedeni, based on Tarashankar Bandopadhyay’s story, from February with Rituparna Sengupta in the title role. The film is produced by Rituparna’s Bhabna Aaj Kal. It’s about a woman’s lust for a man with a very tragic ending.