Radhika Apte and Rahul Bose in Antaheen

If Anuranan had traced the resonances in relationships, Antaheen tries to capture the sense of endlessness in emotions. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury tells t2 how Antaheen (releasing on January 23) is an extension of Anuranan...

What is Antaheen all about?

I see Antaheen as a montage of moments. It’s about relationships and the role gadgets play in relationships. There’s love, waiting, distance between two people and love that develops from a distance.

There are four characters, rather four entities — Rahul Bose and his pishi (aunt) Sharmila Tagore, Radhika Apte, Aparna Sen and Kalyan Ray, and Mita Vashisht and Shauvik. Mita and Shauvik are married but there’s no love in their relationship, while Aparna and Kalyan are married and separated but they still love each other. The pishi’s character is inspired by an aunt of a friend of mine. I was intrigued by her. Like her, Rahul’s aunt in Antaheen lives alone but she is not lonely. Radhika is the main character of Antaheen. She’s a TV journalist, an aspiring Barkha Dutt. There are different tracks but there is a linearity, there’s a thread connecting all the stories. There’s a little bit of the thriller element as well.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Why have you named it Antaheen?

I wanted to capture the sense of endlessness that is there in everything... like an endless (‘antaheen’) wait, endless sky, endless love.... In a way Antaheen may be an extension of Anuranan, the way in which thoughts and moods are expressed. But the story is definitely very different. The pace is much faster than in Anuranan because there are several stories to tell. But it’s the story that has determined the pace; we didn’t set out to make a racy film.

What is the source of the story?

The story idea is mine. I have met most of the characters in my life. Most of the things that happen in the film have either happened in my life or in the life of someone close to me. I, along with Shyamal Sengupta (ex-SRFTI faculty member who now teaches at Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods in Mumbai), have developed the script.... It has been two years since Anuranan released and I didn’t do another film because I didn’t find the right subject. I got offers but I turned them down. Slowly, the characters of Antaheen began taking shape.

Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore together makes for a strong cast...

When I visualised this character of a smart marketing director of a company, it was Rinadi’s (Aparna) face that came to my mind. Who else but she? For the pishi’s character, I was looking for the poise that is there in Sharmila. I needed the depth in her eyes, the way she talks, the grace with which she moves.... I took Rahul because I share a great comfort level with him. Besides, he is a very committed actor. I was looking for a fresh face and Rahul recommended Radhika. She does theatre in Mumbai and she’s an amazing actress. There’s Rudranil Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly and Arindam Sil in the film too.

Antaheen has the look and feel of a glossy Hindi film...

Yes, it was done consciously. Antaheen should be a visual delight. Abhik (Mukhopadhyay, cinematographer) and I have approached the film visually. The moments and moods are very important in Antaheen. The film is a result of teamwork. Abhik’s camera, Aniruddha’s (Chakladar) styling, Moloy Bhattacharya’s production design — everything helped in creating the look I wanted for this film.

What is the visual design?

Since it’s an urban story and mostly indoor we have used a wide colour palette to define the characters and their environment. For instance, we have used a lot of steel, white and glass in Mita and Shauvik’s house to convey the sense of vacuum in their relationship. On the other hand, there’s a lot of warmth in Rahul’s relationship with his pishi. So there we have used brown, yellow, amber...

Didn’t you fear losing the story in the visual opulence?

I come from the world of advertising where I have to tell a story in 30 seconds and I work with visuals. So that wasn’t a problem. But I was careful that I didn’t digress from the story and gave precedence to the visual element.