The closed-door script-reading of Praktan has just got over at Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay’s Tollygunge apartment. Rituparna Sengupta appears at the living room door with a big smile. “I cried so much! I just cried through the whole reading,” she says. 

Prosenjit is in a huddle with Shiboprosad on the glass-encased terrace adjoining the living room, listening to snatches of the film’s score. The star looks happy and relaxed. The director looks relieved; his co-director Nandita Roy doesn’t look like she was under any stress. “Women will cry... a lot. Girls and women,” she says, grinning. More crying than Bela Sheshe? Nandita nods her head in satisfaction. “All my films are about women.”

The ‘woman’ in this film has disappeared to touch up her make-up. The terrace with a leafy background is just right for the t2 photo session. “Ei toh Ritu eshe gechhe laal lipstick porey,” Prosenjit says as Rituparna walks in. “Lipstick koma!” He mock-scolds her. Rituparna looks the other way, laughs and then, of course, flicks her hair. 

“North pole, south pole. Can’t do anything about it!” says Prosenjit. “Oh! Who’s north and who’s south?” Rituparna retorts. 

If there had been ice of Antarctic proportions between them for years, it’s been melting pretty fast ever since both came on board for Praktan. With Rituparna around, Prosenjit never passes up a chance to pull her leg, to which she reacts with a “Dekhli? Shob somoy amay khoncha diye katha bolbey!” followed by carefree laughter. 
A far cry from the October of 2006 when one had witnessed them making a last-ditch effort to finish Laatsaheb, a casualty of their cold war. Shooting was underway at Technicians Studio. Prosenjit sat alone on a chair and waited as the lights were being set up. Rituparna camped on the opposite end of the floor, with her people. The entire set felt polarised. That was north pole-south pole. 

Contours of love

A week before the Pujas, it’s a not-so-lazy Sunday afternoon. There’s pizza and chicken corn soup for lunch. And bowls of olive oil-tossed boiled veggies for the star pair, seated at two ends of a long sofa separated by a cushion. 
Both have remained strikingly youthful. Both are ready to mine their lives to give Praktan layers and texture like never before.

From that perspective, perhaps, Nandita and Shiboprosad can thank their stars for failing to cast them back in 2002, when the story was first conceived. “They were not on talking terms. After a point, we gave up,” says Shiboprosad. 

The most successful screen pair in Bengali cinema after Uttam-Suchitra, Prosenjit and Rituparna have not done a film together in about 14 years. Their talk-of-the-town break-up and their long silence on what went wrong has only enhanced their allure as a couple. It couldn’t have been a better time than now for them to join hands with the makers of the year’s turnaround film, Bela Sheshe, and shake things up a bit in Tollywood.

Like Prosenjit-Rituparna’s topsy-turvy relationship, the storyline of Praktan too has meandered into what it is now. It’s a story of “ex-love”, and that’s all you will get from the makers for now. 

“It’s a very emotional love story. But there’s a lot of comedy, fun too. It’s the journey of our characters and the best thing is that it’s out-and-out commercial,” says Prosenjit, passing a garlic bread to Rituparna just as she looks up from her salad bowl for some. 
“I thought it’s a very insightful film. Love has its own contours and Praktan has brought out all those nuances... there are unspoken moments, there’s silence,” says she. 

Where would they place Praktan at this point in their careers? 

“I am going through a phase where I am very optimistic about my work,” says Rituparna. “I am on the lookout for something I have not explored before and it’s a challenge. I think I am trying to break away from... drudgery. (Turns to Prosenjit) Now we are in search of absolutely complex, complicated roles.”

Their big challenge

Prosenjit, known to be a very small eater, has polished off the salad. “See, we are not the same Prosenjit-Rituparna anymore. That is one thing we have to understand and handle it accordingly. Which is a big challenge for us. I think for me and for Ritu also,” he says. 

“What’s been happening in Tollywood is that we either have good cinema running at the multiplexes, or commercial cinema running in the single-screen theatres. Me and Ritu have a huge fan following even now. We should try and bridge this divide,” adds Prosenjit. 

Has Praktan bridged the divide between Prosenjit-Rituparna then and now? 

“You want to know if our love from 14 years ago will be revived?” Prosenjit asks with an impish smile. Rituparna laughs out loud.

“We looked the best together in photographs even when we were not talking to each other. We even shot a passionate love song when we were not talking to each other,” says Prosenjit. “That song was so lovely!” she chirps. “It has got nothing to do with personal relationship. There’s just some chemistry,” he says. “Absolutely,” adds Rituparna.
What is this chemistry all about? “We don’t know! You can’t quite put a finger on it,” says he. “Yes, absolutely,” she agrees. Again. 

“What happens, I think, is when you work a lot together, there’s an understanding.... Like I know Ritu’s positives and negatives, and what she is going to do here or there (Rituparna gives him That Look) and she also knows that about me.... But I feel after Praktan, we should not do too many films together.” 

The two directors and his leading lady stare at Prosenjit.  

“This is like property! Every time you can’t get this kind of a property. If you want to maintain it, you have to sacrifice. It shouldn’t be like we are doing 10 films together again,” he says. Rituparna looks at him again. “When all my hair turns white, we will do a film like Bela Sheshe!” Prosenjit says, turning to Rituparna.

“Ashojhyo!” she says. 

“O korbe na aami jani (I know she won’t do it)!” Prosenjit laughs. Rituparna laughs too. 

Like Shah Rukh-Kajol

The directors of Bela Sheshe have the writing work cut out for them. Nandita writes the screenplay, Shiboprosad does the dialogues. “That’s why today is a very important day for me. It’s a huge responsibility because I was writing the dialogues.... Actually, romance has almost disappeared from Bengali films. There’s a trend of romantic couples coming back in Bollywood. Like Shah Rukh-Kajol in Dilwale. I feel it is necessary in our industry too. We missed seeing Prosenjit-Rituparna together,” says Shiboprosad.  

His favourite Prosenjit-Rituparna film is Utsab. “I have heard they were supposed to work in Chokher Bali. Didn’t happen. Also Dosar. Didn’t happen.... I would love to see them in a film like The Bridges of Madison County or Falling In Love,” he says. 

Now and forever

It’s time to break, and Prosenjit delivers his punchline. “Ritu, I’m telling you I will do a film with your daughter (Rishona) some day!”

“Oh yeah, in the role of a grandfather!” Rituparna loses no time. 

“No, not at all. Something like...”

“Something like Shah Rukh and Alia!” Shiboprosad helps.

“Yes, father and daughter!” says Rituparna.

“No. Tui dekhe ne!” 

Rituparna gives him That Look again. 

Prosenjit-Rituparna’s comeback for me means... Tell t2@abp.in