Ritwick, Pradipta and Srijit. Picture: Sayantan Ghosh

Srijit, why did you choose to present Bakita Byaktigato. How do you think it will help the film?

Srijit: Indie film is obviously a movement that has gathered steam over the years and it’s great news that Bengali filmmakers are trying it out with various Bengali themes. I am presenting it because I loved the film. It’s a great story very beautifully portrayed and I felt I must back a film such as this because these films tend to get lost.

And Pradipta, were you looking for a known filmmaker to back your film or did it happen by chance?

Pradipta: It just happened. When I made the film in 2010, there was no such plan but then it got into some problems and got stuck.

Srijit: See, Tripod, the entertainment and production company founded by my friends Satrajit Sen and Arka Paul, had a very clear mandate. To take interesting films, which are stuck, and try to release them because people must watch them. I can rattle off names of 10 such films right now that have been doing the rounds but not getting a release. One of the names we heard a lot was Bakita Byaktigato. So we made the connection with Pradipta early this year. It was a film worth fighting for.

Srijit, did you have any suggestions, and Pradipta did you ask for any?

Srijit: When I’m presenting a film, I have to forget that I’m a filmmaker. Of course, I had suggestions, so we did sit and fight a lot. Agreed to disagree on various points… in terms of length or passages that aren’t very conventional. We debated and argued.

Pradipta: And finally we didn’t change anything.

Srijit: Pradipta had a vital point. Why tweak things to make it commercial? Spirit-wise we were always on the same boat.

Ritwick with Madhabi Mukherjee and (below) wife Aparajita in Bakita Byaktigato that released on Friday

Many think that the content and form of indie films are meant for a select audience. How does Bakita Byaktigato challenge it?

Srijit: Everyone has their own way of breaking conventions. My way would be different from Q, whose way would be different from Lalda (Suman Mukhopadhyay). Bakita Byaktigato is a fresh voice in the Bengali film industry. It’s definitely not meant for a niche audience. Very easily relatable and a charming story that grips you.

Pradipta: The story is about an amateur documentary filmmaker who doesn’t have a girlfriend. He decides to go looking for one and film the process. As he begins his journey, he learns of this premer gram, a village in Bengal where anyone who sets foot, happens to fall in love.

Srijit: There’s a metaphor running through the entire film in this search for true love, dealt with in a magic-realist paradigm and that’s what we found fascinating. It’s layered but doesn’t get aantel at any point.

Ritwick: And in the process of shooting for the film, I ended up interviewing so many people for real — students, people in a fish market, a Kalighat panda. And they all had some stunning views on prem (love).

Pradipta: Yes, and in the same frame Ritwick was acting while the other person wasn’t!

Srijit: Since a lot of it is not scripted, it is really a slice of life. It captures reality in a fresh and witty way.

Ritwick, you’ve been a part of quite a few independent Bengali ventures. What is it that you look for in such films?

Ritwick: Pradipta and I have been friends for long. I’ve been a part of all of Pradipta’s telefilms and a part of Bakita Byaktigato from the time he conceived it. For the others, I look at how much the script and the character excite me... such as this film I’ve done for Aditya Vikram Sengupta, which has no dialogues but is very intense in imagination... while Phoring was about working with Kobi (Indranil Roychowdhury) who I did my first work with.

Srijit: To me ‘indie’ is a state of mind and I’m always in that state of mind. It’s not about the budget and equipment. It’s about, ‘Is it free from any interference from the ones financing your film?’

Since funding is a major roadblock for indie films, how did you go about it?

Pradipta: I had to meet around eight or nine producers before I got down to making the film. This was after I had won a few awards for my telefilms. But they were like, ‘Oh there’s nothing much in it… just a journey. Change these parts and come back.’ I never did. Then finally one of them called back and provided a small fund to make the film. It was made with Rs 20 lakh.

Srijit: This is exactly what I faced during Autograph. Many producers wanted me to change the ending. That’s the truth for anyone making his first film. But those who want to tell their story honestly will never change.

Srijit, since you’re curating the film, what would be your advice or message to other producers and filmmakers?

Srijit: When Kaushikda (Ganguly) was making Shabdo, I told him that I wanted to get involved in any which way, even if it meant serving tea on the sets. I’ve always felt the urge to be associated with films that add to the industry I work in. Bakita Byaktigato will also add to the chorus of voices, and once again we see Ritwick who’s a great actor and very underutilised. To be associated with a good story, good performances and a good film should be the take-back for a producer or director. If Bollywood can have a Stanley ka Dabba or a Kiran Rao can stand by a Ship of Theseus, why can’t that evolution happen here?

And what if now you start getting flooded with requests from more indie filmmakers?

Srijit: Everything will depend on the film. If I feel it’s honest and truly independent in thought and execution, I will present it, happily. Presenting it means taking time out and pushing the film, which I’m ready to do. When I watched Bakita Byaktigato, the desire came from within me to present the film. That is the spirit of the film that I believe in. The desire to reach out.

And how are you trying to spread the word?

Ritwick: Pradipta and I have done a teaser campaign of sorts. We’ve filmed a series of conversations among ourselves, the essence of which is very much like the film itself. In fact, after a point the camera is abruptly switched off because bakita byaktigato! (The rest is personal)

Pradipta: It’s already on YouTube. Called Byaktigato du-char katha. We have another plan. After the film releases here, we will go to a few districts and villages with a projector and screen it.

Srijit: Since the music is very folk and entwined with the dialogues, Anupam (Roy) has recorded a promotional song for the film.