(From top) Soumitra Chatterjee, Ananya Chatterjee, Suman Ghosh, Anandi Ghose, Mayookh Bhaumik and Rupam at the music launch of Dwando. Pictures by Aranya Sen

The cast and crew of Suman Ghosh’s Dwando, which hits the theatres today, reveal facets of the film to t2...

Ananya Chatterjee, plays Sudipta

Sudipta is a married, working woman but life isn’t a smooth ride for her. She forms a relationship outside her marriage and is faced with the dilemma of choosing between her responsibilities and her freedom.... I focused on understanding the story as a whole rather than just my character. I read the script a number of times to understand the director’s point of view. Suman had complete faith in my ability to understand and express the conflict within my character. I don’t like to rehearse much. It’s a pressure for me. I like to face each shot as it comes and react to situations instinctively.

Koushik Sen, plays Anik

Anik is Sudipta’s husband. He’s a modern man from a small town, so he has a value system with a bit of an inferiority complex. He has a good job and a beautiful wife but still lacks something that leads to misunderstandings with his wife.... Even though Suman allows a lot of space to his actors, he also tends to be firm about what he wants from them.

Barun Mukherjee, cinematographer

For Dwando, I steered away from taking too many cinematic liberties or jazzing up frames unnecessarily. The film dwells on human relationships and every character is intense, so I didn’t go out of my way to glamorise the characters. I went with natural tones and lights. Only towards the end, when Ananya’s character resolves her confusion, have I used abnormal darkness, but that too in a subtle manner.

I tend to be particular about the aesthetics of a set and in Dwando I dismissed all the elements that didn’t seem appropriate. For example, I chose the paintings, changed the flower arrangements and did away with table lamps placed unnecessarily or curtains that seemed jarring to the characters.

Mayookh Bhaumik, music director

Suman knows that I am in tune with his sensibility. So, he just told me to do a transitional score, which means that a music piece will have to connect two scenes — summing up the previous scene and setting the context for the next. I read the script and sat with the cinematographer as it was important for me to follow the pace of the camera. It helped me set the tempo of the music. The theme is like a chamber of string quartet exotically coloured with oud, cello and trumpet. Dwando’s narrative focuses on a few characters, and so the music is subtle. The score plays a suggestive role.... Rupam has sung the Barey Barey track, which has a certain Indianness about it. Because of her vocal texture and style, I asked Rezwana Chowdhury Bonya to sing a Rabindrasangeet.

Anandi ghose, stylist

Ananya’s character goes through a lot of upheaval, so I tried to give her clothes that suit her background and persona. Soumitra, who plays a doctor educated in London, is very sophisticated and yet rooted in his culture. We chose furniture and furnishings that would reflect his personality. There are three main home sets in the film and I’ve tried to blend each look with the character that lives in it. While Soumitra’s house exudes an old-world charm, we have designed a swish apartment for a young software guy. Sumanda gave me a lot of liberty and Barunda has added a lot to each frame with his inputs.